Dragon fire, Phoenix flame
by Ninjara
Summary: Sequel to Promises. The past comes back to haunt Scarlett in the form of an unstable comrade. Updated ch. 16
1. Prologue

Title: Dragon fire, Phoenix flame

Author: Ninjara

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer: I do not own GI Joe nor do I own the Black Dragons. Some names and personalities I did create within the Dragons; except for Ian Nottingham and Hector Mobius.

A/N: I promised a sequel to my Promises fic. This story has been in the planning for a while now; I hope it's just as good as Promises if not a little better, now that I've had some experience.

Prologue

From Ian Nottingham to Shana O'Hara

_My dear friend,_

_It has been some time since we last saw each other. My employer is out of the country for a few months and thankfully I am not needed for what business he is on. I hoped that perhaps you would find the time to come and see me; while he is away. I know that you despise him and with just cause._

_I visit Daniel's grave often; I enjoy the solitude and quiet there when I read your letters. I read aloud because I feel he is listening and would like to hear it as well._

_In your last letter you asked about Hector, Jean and the others. I have found some information out, sad to say it is not good. After your transfer and the disbanding of the Black Dragons, Hector and the others suffered from delusions, some worse than others._

_They have since been admitted to Deveau Mental Institution at __Montreal__, __Canada__. I understand that this news is very disturbing to you as it was to me. It is sad to hear that our six brothers are locked away for such problems and it frightens me to think that perhaps we have suffered the cause of it._

_I know I have most likely put you in an unhappy mood so I will now write of good things. I have heard that Sara Pezzini is up for a promotion; however I doubt that she will take it, I think she enjoys being a detective too much. Jake McCartey is currently working as an instructor at Quantico, Virginia. I speak with them both on occasion, and they ask after you quite frequently._

_I'll have to end this now; it seems Roberts is having some trouble with the surveillance cameras. I miss you and hope to hear from you soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Ian Nottingham._


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

            It had been two weeks since Ian's letter had arrived; what he had written about the other Dragons had upset her very much. For the past two weeks, she had been trying to determine the true cause of the delusions the others suffered. To no avail, there had been too many variables to determine. Ian and she were perfectly fine, but why was that. What had been different about them two? She had always thought Christian Blair was mentally unstable; he was antagonistic, aggressive and more bloodthirsty than the rest. It had always scared her, but Hector, Jean and the others, it didn't make any sense.

            'I really need to stop thinking about this, it only adds to the stress I've had since I read it. Too many questions without answers, and when I find an answer, it only begets more questions. I'll probably drive myself nuts trying to figure it all out.'

            She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind when she heard the footsteps approaching out in the hallway. A smile crosses her face at the thought that she knew the rhythm of his stride that well. The thought of opening the door before he reached it crossed her mind, before being dismissed. He hadn't asked again about the incident and she suspected Ian had a hand in that; but he had asked about her split second disappearance in a hotel hallway. She had outright refused to answer, because she didn't want to lie to him and anything she had said would've been a lie. The last thing she needed to do was give him reason to ask another question that she couldn't answer truthfully. The knocking at her door silenced her thoughts. She walked over and opened the door.

            "Hey," she greeted, smiling at Snake Eyes, "what's going on?"

            *Hawk wants everyone together, something big has happened.* he signed.

            She simply nodded and followed him out the door.

            Silence reigned for a few minutes while they walked. Snake Eyes observed his companion for that time. He noted that she was pensive and distant, which wasn't usual, something had been bothering her for the past two weeks. She tried to hide it and for the most part succeeded; however, she tended to let her guard down in his presence. In those unguarded moments; he could see it, in the way she acted, in her eyes, in her silence.

            *What's wrong?*

            "Nothing," she answered, her tone said differently.

            *Shana.*

            "Ian wrote to me two weeks ago, he asked if I would come see him while his employer was away."

            *Kenneth Irons*

            He noticed her involuntary shudder at the mention of the man, it was yet another mystery that had appeared since the White Bull situation...

            "He told me that Jake is instructing at Quantico and Sara is in line for a promotion even if she won't take it. They tend to ask after me."

            *That doesn't sound bad.*

            "He also wrote some troubling things about some old friends of ours. I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since."

            *Bad?*

            "Like you wouldn't believe, it's like a complicated puzzle. I'm trying to solve it but the pieces don't fit and every new answer brings even more complicated questions. It never seems to make sense, for some reason."

            *Does it have to make perfect sense? Tell me about it maybe I can see something you might have missed.*

            "Eight people lived in the exact same living conditions for three years. In that time only one seemed slightly unstable. Now, six of the eight have been institutionalized; the other two live seemingly normal lives and are in good health. I've thought of a hundred different scenarios; both logical and illogical, and nothing seems to fit right. It just doesn't make sense and it probably never will." She sighed and glanced at the door.  
            "Let's find out what this is all about."

            A few minutes later, Hawk addressed everyone in the room.

            "Approximately half an hour ago, this," he held up a video tape, "was broadcast across the country. We don't know where from, and we're not sure who they are."

            He inserted the tape and all watched as it came on the screen. As the picture became clear Scarlett wasn't sure if she should run from the room, screaming in panic; or be terrified to silence.

            She knew that face and that voice; she had to know. She'd seen it for just about 356 days a year for 3 years. Knowing who was on the screen didn't ease her fear, it only made it worse.

            Ever since she left the Dragons she had suspected that this could happen, she had always suspected that if it did; he would be the one to do it. Knowing that she had been right didn't help at all, because she had always feared him. He had been antagonistic, aggressive, bloodthirsty, and mercilessly cruel. Everything she despised and feared.

            The face on the screen belonged to Christian Blair.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

            "People of America, I am Christian Blair, of the Black Dragons. We were wronged by this country, and sentenced to imprisonment for the crime that it committed against us. I seek my enslaved brother who serves the Iron man, and my free sister who aids the knights to help me exact justice. If my sister is not found, people will die. And if the knights interfere they will find only their death." The screen went black, and silence ensued.

            Snake Eyes glanced at Scarlett; who was shaking slightly and looked about to pass out. He had never had reason to doubt her courage, the way she spoke of walking with death in the hotel room. He wondered what it was about Christian Blair and what he had said that frightened her so.

            A hundred thoughts raced through Scarlett's mind; Blair and the others were out of the institution and most certainly not well. He was making threats she knew he'd make good on. G.I. Joe couldn't bring him down, they lacked the capability, the knowledge, and the nerve to do what she saw now had to be done. It was a Dragon matter and it would have to be Dragon justice.

            It seemed safe to say that Blair's group was lacking in their own skills. While Ian's skills were sharp, they weren't what they were in the Black Dragons. She, on the other hand, had been honing her skills to perfection since she was a Dragon. They would come after her first because of that. She couldn't let them come here, it would endanger everyone. Blair would make good on his promise and kill them all. She couldn't allow them to take her, she wouldn't.

            She also knew it would be easier to take Blair out from within, but that was an outright act of betrayal to her duty. It went against Dragon law and conditioning; it simply wasn't done. But then neither was an idea to kill another Dragon, but Blair lost his right to be called a Dragon the second he made those accusations. Although she had to agree to justice to the Iron man, the rest was just wrong.

            Hawk was speaking still but neither heard anything, wrapped in their own thoughts and worries. Scarlett was already deciding to contact Ian; he'd know what she should do.

            As Scarlett was heading back to her room; Snake Eyes took her by the hand.

            *What happened in there?*

            "What do you mean?"

            *I don't think I've even seen you look so frightened before.*

            "You think I can't handle this, do you?"

            *I never said that. I know that something about that broadcast terrified you. I saw it. I want to help.*

            She was silent, contemplating her next move; what sort of half truth should she say. She couldn't flat out lie, not to him. The bad thing was she knew he deserved the truth, and now her heart fought with her mind over that knowledge.

            Her heart won out, she had to tell him, even if she feared telling him more than anyone. She may not be able to tell him everything now, but he needed to know about the Black Dragons, if only for his own protection.

            "I'll tell you what I can," she said leading him back to her room.

            "The Black Dragons were a highly classified, elite unit. Handpicked internationally from the very best that their country's had to offer. The best of the best, we mostly specialized in covert and black operations. There were eight of us all together."

            *Us?*

            "Us. Ian, myself, Hector, Jean, Alex, Lucius, Antonio, and Christian. We were used as human guinea pigs. They messed with our heads, drugged us with all sorts of enhancing drugs. All so we would be the perfect soldiers, to this day I don't believe any of us truly understand or know the limits on what they did to us."

            *That's what he meant by crimes committed against them.*

            "Yeah. It failed though; most of us were loyal only to each other. It succeeded in two and the other six are now delusional."

            *Which two?*

            "Take a guess."

            *Ian and you?*

            "Are the only two in which it was a complete success. Lethal and loyal, as the brain behind the whole thing puts it, only I'm free to choose who I give my allegiance to."

            "I knew it would happen one day. One of us would go rogue, Ian's aware of this by now. And I have to get out of here."

            *Why?*

            "Blair will come looking for me. He swore he'd kill anyone who gets in his way; I know better than to think he's bluffing."

            *He would try to take on a force that out numbers him over twenty to one.*

            "Outnumbered, yes. But to be perfectly honest, GI Joe is outclassed in this fight. The abilities of a Black Dragon are almost supernatural, like something out of a science fiction movie. They will move in swiftly and anything in their path will be destroyed."

            *There has to be something that can be done.*

            "There isn't. This has been started by a Black Dragon, and it has to be finished by one. If I go, I might be able to evade them for a while. I won't let them come here, I can't allow it."

            *We can prepare for them, stop them before they get here.*

            "No. I won't risk any lives for myself. I lost Danny and I won't lose any more of my friends. And I especially won't risk losing you."

            She had put a bag on the bed, and was packing. She had to see Ian so they could decide what to do about Christian Blair.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

            "So what you're telling me is you know Christian Blair?" General Hawk asked.

            "That's exactly what I'm saying. He's mentally unstable; delusional, homicidal, and I can go on. He believes himself to actually be a fire breathing dragon. He's also a genius, one of the smartest people in the world, possibly. The sad thing is that he's as smart as he is insane." Scarlett said. 

            "I have a friend in New York that has known Blair a little longer than I; he's willing to give me some insight to this whole thing."

            "Then I'll send you to talk with him, Snake Eyes and Jinx will accompany you." Hawk said.

            "No," she responded quickly.

            "He will not talk to me if there's others present. It has to be only me; if he has reason to believe that there is anyone else present, he won't say a word. He's a little on the paranoid side."

            "And if he doesn't know they're present?"

            "It won't work. The person he works for; has people that do nothing but know the movements of everyone in the area, and he supervises those people." She paused, before asking;

            "Has anything come up on the Black Dragons?"

            "Not a single thing; why?"

            "I can get you in? All I need is a computer with a microphone."

            About five minutes later, Scarlett took a seat at a computer; Mainframe and General Hawk stood behind her. She flipped on the microphone to her left and started working the keyboard.

            "I don't know how you're going to find anything on the Black Dragons by using a microphone. There's nothing there." Mainframe said.

            "It's there; you just need to look in the right place." She said as she typed a few more keys and then stopped.

            The computer screen flashed to black and the image of a dragon outlined in silver appeared. The background faded to a dark red, but the outline and detail of silver and the black Dragon remained.

            "How the hell did you do that?" Mainframe asked.

            Hawk just watched. 

            Suddenly the words appeared on the screen in bright yellow: _You have entered a restricted area. Please give your clearance now. This link will be terminated in 5 minutes._

            Scarlett picked up the microphone and spoke very clearly.

            "Scarlett, 2nd of rank, 10th level clearance, Security code Phoenix alpha seven- dragon gamma five."

            Once again the words in bright yellow appeared_: Positive vocal recognition, security code accepted, welcomes __Phoenix__._

            "Even if you had found this place, you wouldn't have been able to get in, not without finding some way to bypass the security which will have taken more than the five minutes. The only people with the ability to access this information are the people responsible for the Black Dragons and the Dragons themselves."

            "Which are you?" Hawk asked.

            "I was a Dragon once. I thought Blair was unstable from the start, but I couldn't bring that kind of accusation with out reliable evidence. We were used; most of us forgave or forgot, but Blair turned bitter and vengeful. We were all sworn to secrecy on everything that happened then."

            "Then why open the files like you just did?" Hawk asked, intrigued.

            "I'll go to New York and I might make it to where I'm going. Through I can't be sure of making it back."

            "What do you mean?" Mainframe asked.

            "Blair's demands. He's going to look for me, if he doesn't find me, I'm sure he'll follow through on his threat. I believe he knows that I'll go to New York. He'll probably try to head me off there."

            "All the more reason for someone to accompany you."

            "It's all the more reason for me to go alone. Blair will kill them or use them against me; it's a death sentence."

            "Snake Eyes is the best we have."

            "I know; that's why he shouldn't be anywhere near me for this. He may be the best of what you've seen here, of what you were allowed to see. But you've never seen a Black Dragon fight. If he goes he will be killed. I know that I stand a chance of survival; that I might be able to beat Blair, but not all of them and certainly not, while having to watch out for anyone. I have to go alone, if I don't; they will come here. Make no mistake, they will kill you all."

            "So there's no choice is there. You have to go and you have to go alone."

            "It's the only way that I can save everyone."

            "What's going on?" Jinx said as she poked her head in Scarlett's room.

            "Nothing," Scarlett answered.

            "Nothing? The room is bare and you're packing like there's no tomorrow."

            "If you're going to comment, you could give me a hand." Scarlett said.

            "Sure," Jinx answered, picking up a green duffel bag. She noticed the onyx Dragon pinned to the bag;

            "Are you even going to say goodbye?"

            "I don't know, I don't think there's time. And I'm leaving for everyone's safety. I have to go to protect all of you."

            "Protect us from what?"

            "I can't afford to tell you, and you'd try to stop me."

            "Well, are you going to say goodbye?' she asked.

            "I won't make any promises. Just trust me when I say, it's better if you don't know."

            She left later that same night; without a word to anyone. She felt it in the air; whatever happened now would be up to fate. She looked to the silent stars and a gentle breeze blew from the west; coaxing her to her task.

            "I don't know what's going to happen." She whispered to the night wind.

            "But no matter whatever happens, I trust you'll watch over them for me."

            "I know you won't let me down, Danny."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

            Scarlett sat in the bus, making plans for the next 24 hours. She had already decided that she couldn't risk meeting with Ian at Vorshlag or the mansion. There was to great a risk to others present if Blair came. She would call Ian as soon as she reached the bus stop and go from there.

            If she made it that far; there had been no sign that Blair was anywhere near New York, or even knew that she was presently here. But she wouldn't put it past him to have an ambush waiting for her somewhere around here.

            It was that thought that prompted her to write the letter she now slipped into her journal. It was a simple black leather covered book that had a red and gold phoenix embossed on the cover. It had been a gift from Danny, and contained her thoughts and observations on all the Dragons.

            She slipped the book into the green duffel bag as the bus pulled into the stop. She got off the bus and proceeded to walk a few blocks down. She was a little less than a block and a half away when she sensed them.

            Blair had come for her, just like she had known he would.

            "Hello, Christian." She said her voice even and cold to him.

            "I knew you'd come here, Red. You always ran to Ian when you were in trouble."

            "I'm not running to Ian, I came to find you. I knew you would expect me to come here. So here I am."  
            She watched calmly as Blair stepped out of the alleyway in front of her and knew the other five were fanned out to flank her from behind. She spared a glance towards Hector, and the others.

            "Why won't you just leave me be, Firebird? I'm perfectly happy where I am, I have no quarrel with you if you want to go through with this. I won't say they are all perfectly innocent, I know better. But that doesn't mean you should make the innocent pay, it's an obstruction to what we all hold fast to."

            "It's a war, one that we need to wage. If innocents die, it's a small amount to pay to get retribution for the crimes committed against us, Phoenix."

            "It's madness that's what it is." She said, shaking her head in pity towards them.

            "You can either help us. Or…." Blair trailed off, as he tossed a manila envelope to her.

            She opened the envelope, and perused its contents. Pictures, very candid pictures of her and her friends at the Pit. The Dragons had been there, earlier and taken those pictures without any one's knowledge. In giving her the envelope, Blair had just said that he could get in and out easily enough to kill them all without a single thought.

            "Or they can pay for your refusal with their lives."

            "You bastard." She whispered.

            "Fine, I'm in. Like you knew I'd be." She answered him.

            She walked away from the street with the rest of the Dragons, leaving behind the green bag. It sat on the street as the only evidence that she had been there safely hidden within lay the journal and the letter.


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry for the wait. I only have enough time today to load two chapters. Please review.

Chapter 5  
  
            Less than two hours later Ian had what Scarlett left on the street in his possession. He glanced at the hurriedly scripted note that was written to him:

_Dragon,_

_Give me six days,my friend. Place your hope and faith in me or place them not at all. This is my decision, leave it be for now. I will rally the others by the time the sixth day is up. This must end soon._

_Phoenix_

"I shall place my hopes and faith in you, my lady. I just hope you understand what it is that you're doing." Ian said, looking out the window of his study.

Three days had passed since Scarlett left to New York. General Hawk was wondering if she was right in thinking she'd be confronted by the other Dragons there. She had alluded to that fact when she said she wasn't sure if she was going to come back. Whoever she was going to talk to may not have even seen her.

            Snake Eyes had been sullen and morose since she left. Hawk couldn't tell him anymore than she went to New York and was going to talk to someone about the Black Dragons. He knew she already knew all about them, she had been one. After the way the broadcast had frightened her, why would she go alone to New York?

            Jinx stood a few feet away, watching him. She was holding a stack of letters tied together by an ivory colored cord. She had found the letters in Scarlett's room the morning she had left.

            "I found these." She said handing him the letters.

            "I'm not sure if she left them on purpose or not. But they are the only thing she left behind."

            *He scared her**.***

"Who scared her?"

            *Christian Blair. What he said during the broadcast. She knew him from…

            "The Black Dragons." Jinx finished.

            *You know?

            "They're mentioned several times in the letters."

            He took the letters and looked at the envelopes, all were from Daniel Woo. He opened the first one and started to read it.

            _Dear Shana, _

_            I know this letter is probably late it arriving along with your birthday present. Tokyo is great, I just saw a tea ceremony and I'm going to a kabuki theatre tomorrow. I wanted to wish you a happy birthday and once again I hope I topped Ian on the birthday present this year._

_            Speaking of your birthday present; which you are no doubt looking at while you read this, let me tell you a little about it. I found it in, on my trip into the mountain area a few days ago. When I saw it; I knew it had to be yours._

_            After I bought it, I had it engraved as you can see; that's why it took so long to get it there. The kanji on the blade, roughly translates to 'red phoenix' or 'scarlet phoenix.'_

_            I hope you liked your gift and happy birthday once more._

_                                                                                                            Love _

_                                                                                                            Danny_

_            Dear Shana_

_            I'm glad you liked the blade, I can't say I'm surprised that Ian got you a pair of Egyptian __Sais__, he has the kind of ability to do that. I cannot believe what you told me about Hector getting plastered. Out of all the Black Dragons I thought Hector would be one of the last to not be able to hold his alcohol._

_            To a more serious point, about what you wrote about Christian, I believe you. There is good reason to believe he's unstable mentally…._

            The letters continued most like the ones before. Danny commented on her suspicions and insecurities. He wrote of being made A detective on the NYPD, of news and everyday life.

            It was the last letter that caught Snake Eyes attention. It was dated a couple of weeks before Shana left for Danny's funeral and consequently the White Bulls incident.

            _Dearest Shana_

_            I need you in __New York__ as soon as possible; it's time to take the White Bulls down. I've met with an undercover FBI agent who thinks this can be done quickly, but not without your help. Once it's over you and me can go celebrate and Lee says she wants you over for dinner._

_            I know you'll be tired from the White Bulls but I really need you here. I'm signing over our mutual investment to you, the papers are in the mail already. We're really looking forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks. And Mikey wants to see his godmother._

_            I know some things are private; and are meant to be kept that way, but I'd love to meet some of those friends of yours. You make mention of a few of them, some more than often. I'd really like to meet the guy who gave the __Phoenix__ back her wings._

_Love, _

_Danny_

            That was the last letter.

            In a defunct military installation somewhere in the Canadian wilderness; several kilometers from civilization, the sound of leather striking skin echoed. 

            "What were you trying to do, Phoenix? Escape is impossible; you should realize this by now." Christian said, running his fingers over the whip.

            "I'll stop the pain if you tell me what I want to know. I know that you were with the knights when they started. I know that you know a lot about them. I only have pictures; I want names and ranks to go with those pictures. I know you can give them to me. Now, do you have anything you wish to tell me?" He asked, turning around to face the red headed woman hanging by her wrists in the middle of the room.

            She whispered something too soft for him to hear.

            "What?" he asked, leaning in closer to her. Once he was close enough, she turned and spat on him. In fury he brought the coiled whip across her face, leaving a red mark on her cheek, as he threatened.

            "You're signing your own death warrant, Phoenix."

            "Death comes for all of us, the only difference is that I don't fear it. Neither do I fear you, you have no dominion over me."

            "You should fear me." He said, uncoiling the whip and raising it. The sound echoed and blood flowed, but she held her ground. No recognition crossed he face and no sound escaped her lips. She would not give him satisfaction or power over her.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

            Two days later at nine am in Manhattan; Snake Eyes along with Jinx and Stormshadow were trying to find an address for Ian Nottingham.

            "The address on the letter is for the security department of Vorschlag International; the corporate domain of Kenneth Irons."

            "Why send letters to and from a corporate address?" Stormshadow asked.

            "That's easy," someone answered behind them, "because Ian Nottingham has the same home address as Kenneth Irons."

            "Who are you and how did you sneak up on us?" Jinx asked.

            "You can call me Dan. I know who you are and I know why you're here." The man; clearly of Chinese descent, said.

            He had straight black hair which he wore long, dark eyes and light skintone. He was wearing Chinese robes in red and gold, elaborate designs covered the robe in different shades of red and yellow-gold.

            "Ian's not at work today; something came up last night, but Sara should be able to take you to him. She's at work right now, but she is going that way in a little less than an hour."

            'Thank you' Snake Eyes signed.

            "You're welcome." Dan said with a nod.

            The three ninjas started to walk away when Dan suddenly said;

            "Catch!"

            He tossed something small and shiny in Snake Eyes's direction. Snake Eyes caught it and looked at it closely. It was a necklace, a gold bird pendent hanging off of a simple silken cord.

            "You have to keep it with you at all times; it'll bring you luck, Shana would want you to have it." Dan paused before continuing;

            "You have to believe in Shana. Trust in her and her abilities. She won't let you down,"

            Snake Eyes looked at the necklace again then turned back towards Dan to find no one there.

            "I was expecting you," Ian said, greeting them at the door to the mansion.

            "How?"

            "When Blair made his broadcast; I anticipated that Shana would come here, so did Blair. What neither of us knew was that Shana predicted that Blair would come for her and set herself up accordingly," Ian explained.

            "Why didn't Blair come after you?"

            "Despite how the chain of command is supposed to read; Shana is the one the men will follow. Blair wishes to wage a war and she is the biggest threat; not because she kept herself in fighting shape, but for the unique abilities she possesses."

            "You see, the men followed Shana and she followed me. She can inspire incredible loyalty among many; especially the Dragons, for you see we were all in love with her in some way."

            *Even Blair?* Snake Eyes signed.

            "Yes. While most of us contented ourselves to friendship, Blair refused to stand for it. He took his love to an obsession; the type when brought to it, he'd kill her to make sure that none would have her. Blair is cruel and malicious, and the phoenix; her spirit animal, sensed it and spurned his every advance."

            "Phoenix spirit?"

            "It was Daniel's nickname for her, that eventually became her name among us. She was always different from the rest of us; it wasn't innocence she knew the horrors of life, we could only define it as purity. She could look beyond the darkness of the world to see the light. Phoenixes were representative of life and hope; while Black Dragons were representative of destruction and despair. It made a certain amount of sense to us that while there would always be a certain amount of love and kinship between all of us; that there would never be anything more, because dragons and phoenixes would always exist on opposite sides of a spectrum."

            As Ian spoke; Snake Eyes attention fell on a painting hanging on the wall. Noticing this Ian had to smile; he had wondered who would notice it first. He turned to the painting behind him;

            "She is captivating, isn't she?" he asked, drawing the attention of the other two to the painting.

            In the painting of a magnificent looking room; on a stool sat a young woman in a golden gown. Her long red hair fell loose about her shoulders; a pair of elegant looking, sleek golden-red wings at her back gave her the appearance of some bright angel. Painstakingly detailed tail feathers of the same hue curved around the stool to drape to the floor from near the top of her skirt. But it was the sorrowful look in her expression that held the most attention. The sadness in the depths of those sapphire eyes seemed beyond human understanding.

            *It's Scarlett.*

            "I call it 'Hope restricted' she held that pose for near three hours before I finished that sketch. This is my favorite one. I seem to have drifted from the matters at hand," Ian said;

            "Shana was taken not far from where she left the bus. The only signs that she left was a green duffle bag and the pin that was attached to it was enough identification for me. The pin is extremely rare craft; it's a dragon carved of obsidian and detailed in silver that I designed myself, only three of that make are in existence: mine, Hector's and Shana's. The contents of her bag are also familiar to me; her journal, some choice weaponry, and a note that is addressed to you." He finished, handing Snake Eyes a plain white envelope.

            As Snake Eyes opened the envelope, Ian left them in the hallway heading to some other part of the house. The note read;

            '_I knew you'd come eventually, by now Ian's told you what happened. I did intend for it to be this way, please understand that I have to do this alone, don't come after me or follow me. Don't even try to; Blair will make good on his threats believe me, that's why I was so adamant about coming here alone. _

_            Blair must be brought down; it has to be done from the inside, and I'm the only one who can do it. I do what I must to achieve the needed ends. I understand and know what I'm doing; it's the only way._

_            Please forgive me.'_

            The note ended there; Ian returned with a small black leather bound book, a phoenix had been embossed in gold on the cover.

            "Am I correct in thinking that you'll go after her?" Ian asked.

            Snake Eyes nodded.

            "Good." Ian replied, "They've holed up in the Canadian wilderness about 15 kilometers northeast of the mountains. Trust nothing in Blair's presence; he knows her mind and how it works. He's used that knowledge to trap her. Failure is not an option, if given the chance he will destroy her."

            "You said he would dare kill her." Jinx said.

            "I'm not speaking of her life; but of her spirit; the very thing that defines her. It's the source of her abilities; strange things happen around her, unusual forces are at work. Compared to Blair breaking her, killing her would be a kindness." Ian finished softly, concern evident in his tone.

            "The best place for entering the surrounding area is 40 miles to the south of the base in the early morning hours. There's a small clearing outside of their range of vision. The terrain is harsh and uneven; so anyone who goes has to walk."

            *Anything else?"*

            "Yes. This is a very deadly game you're entering; and in this game everyone does as they must."

            Ian's last comment served only to confound them; but the way he's said it left no doubt that it was a warning. But what exactly he was warning them about was a mystery.


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: I have finally come back here. I know this one's short but I was forced to revise the direction of this story a bit.

Chapter 7

She bit back a yelp of pain as Alex gingerly dabbed the alcohol soaked cloth across one of the many raw red welts left by Blair's whip. Alex had seen many wounds; being the team's designated medic and this was nothing new to him. Neither was his patient; Shana had always been the worst patient: she always refused to stay put, wanting to be back in the fight immediately. But she was the absolute best to have at your back; put a target in front of her and she'd take him down, armed or not.

Alex could remember a couple of times when he was with her and the two of them were captured. Their adversaries always seemed to think that they could break her easily; that she would crack under pressure faster than he would. They always picked the hardest nut to crack; she was near invincible, unbreakable. She always did have a great tolerance for pain, but even she had limits.

Something was different about her and this situation. She was doing this to protect someone, a specific someone. He had seen the pictures; seemed like nice enough people, but the effort she was making pointed to something more. He couldn't be sure; not without an admission from her, but he had a feeling that it was about the blond man who was signing something to her in one of the pictures. Alex did not know who he was or what he had been saying to her. He vaguely wondered if Ian was aware of this person.

Hector was in the room; watching Alex doing his task, and trying to reason with Shana. Hector was third in command; at 6'7" it was funny that this tall African-American man had to answer to the lithe 5'4" red headed woman, he was attempting to reason with.

"Give him something; tell him you had a change of heart. Do something, Shana, before he kills you." Hector said as he paced the length of the room.

"I will not jeopardize any to whom I swore allegiance to. I would rather die and you know that." She replied.

"Nothing is worth this, it's meaningless."

"No it's not. I chose to face this alone and that's what I'm going to do. When I made my choice, I was aware that I'd be alone."

"There was no choice to make."

"I had chosen before I made the trip to New York, I didn't want to involve anyone else so I could prove something."

"What are you trying to prove?"

"My own worth, I think, that I can do something right on my own. Sometimes I'm treated like dirt; I don't really fit in, because I'm not a card-carrying member of the club. It stinks, you know, and it hurts. It wouldn't hurt as much if I didn't know some of these people as long as I have."

"So why are you protecting them?"

"I honestly don't know. Maybe it's because I have known them as long as I have. Maybe it is in my nature, but that's a crappy answer and I know it. Maybe it's because I want to look in a mirror and see someone worthwhile."

"You are worthwhile."

"Sure, and that's why people I trust and depend on treat me like shit. I feel like I have to prove that I can handle things on my own, without anyone's help."

"A wise warrior knows when to stand alone and when to take another's hand."

"Perhaps Moby, but when the warrior's chances depend on standing alone. I need to prove it."

"The only person you need to prove anything to, Shana, is yourself," Hector paused, "If you're certain that they'll come here; you know Blair will not hesitate to make good on his word. He will kill them; you have both the means and motive to play the change of heart. You know us, Shana; we will back you up either way. But if you want to save their lives; you need to have some pull with Blair."

"Sell my soul to the devil and become the angel of death once more, Moby?"

"The phoenix means life..."

"To the Black Dragons, Hector, everyone else be damned. I was an assassin, Hector; I was the shadowy figure in the night leaving only bodies in my wake. Death doesn't only follow me; it chases me, everything I touch dies. I couldn't stand it so I stopped being Phoenix; I stopped being the dark angel of death. I didn't want it, not after Anna Figilia." She finished her voice tired and sad.

"You can't blame yourself. Anna Figilia was an accident that you had no control over. She allowed her anger to get out of hand; she had no reason to be there or to go after the target. Even Blair tried to reach her, and you tried your hardest to save her."

"But I didn't try hard enough, Hector."

"Anna would've wanted you to protect them. It may be the only chance at redemption any of us have."

"Redemption, huh?" she asked, incredulously, "You actually believe that?"

"Do you?"

"I'd like to; it would be nice to think that there is hope for someone like me. My hands are stained with so much blood. I think I would like the chance to be forgiven, to be able to be a normal person. It would beat being an assassin I think." She finished, pensive and hopeful.

"You were an assassin because they wanted you to be. You're not like that in reality." Alex reason, entering the conversation.

"Maybe I am." She began, "You can't know that for sure, Alex. I trained with the absolute best in the business; and they saw something in me that was the same as them. I don't want to think that I was always meant to be a cold-blooded killer. I'll play the game for my chance at redemption."

She thought about what playing the game meant: she would willingly turn over the information that Blair wanted, she would betray her teammates and go against her very soul. She hated anyone to call her Phoenix anymore; she wanted nothing more than to rid herself of that part of her and her past.

Now she was stepping back into it; becoming the angel of death again and the belief that she only could destroy life came rushing back. The fear that if she got too close to someone they could die had resurfaced. She wondered was this her fate, her true purpose, was she always doomed to be a deadly shadow at the disposal of people like Christian Blair.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I know that I've taken a while to actually continue this story; I've somehow ended up with two different ways on how this story should go. Certain parts of both sounded good to me, so I kind of combined them and added a bit more during editing. This is probably the longest chapter I've ever done. I know some parts do not quite fit with what I wrote in earlier chapters, but I hope to fix that.

_italics_ are thoughts  
_#italics# _is a flashback  
~word~ is signing

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

Chapter 8

Sometimes Christian would let her hang form these shackles for hours; bleeding from various wounds. His whip was barbed with metal and tore at her skin with every lash. She had become very familiar with its bite over the past few days, and even more over the past few hours. It was not the worst of treatment she had ever experienced, but no one else needed to know that.

He had left her alone so she could consider her options; which she had been doing for longer than he knew. She had been making plans and deciding how to go about with them. She had planned to be caught trying to escape this time and to be in this position again. It didn't matter how she felt about this situation; someone would die if she did nothing, and in all likelihood it would be a death she would rather prevent. Mobius was right; if she wanted to stop Christian it would have to be from the inside, and that meant having to get close to him. Even if she found the task distasteful, it would not be the first time she felt that way. The fact that no Black Dragon had killed another Black Dragon. That meant nothing at all to her; because if that was what it took to protect them, then so be it.

The door behind her clicked open; she heard the rattling of several keys, and the lock turning again. Like the pain of the lashing whip or his threats, she refused to react to his entry.

"Are you ready to continue, Phoenix, or do you require more time?" Christian asked as he walked around her.

"Why do you continue to ask for something you know I will not give you, Christian? You know, I'll never give it to you." Scarlett answered calmly.

"It isn't as if I'm asking for much, pretty bird. You can end your pain if you just give me a little information." He said with a sigh. As though it pained him to be doing this, she was not fooled.

"I suppose you are right, Christian. It really is not a lot to ask; however, it really is not mine to say, and for that reason I will not tell you anything. Besides, you really don't have any interest in the answers, do you? This whole conversation has no relevance at all, not to you at least."

"True enough, pretty bird, I don't need to know anything about the people I kill." he said, using the nickname she hated. Christian was looking for a reaction that was easy enough to see, a single careless action could ruin everything. She had survived this long by knowing how to keep secrets from people; even the ones most knowledgable about her, she could hide her feelings from Christian easily.

"If you could kill them; then you would have done it already. What you really want to know is how far am I willing to go to keep you from doing that.'' she responded.

"Are you implying that I cannot kill them?" he asked, his tone shifting to threatening.

"I didn't think you were an idiot, but yes. That is exactly what I'm saying." she answered nonchalantly.

The sound of metal striking the concrete floor as he unwound the whip was audible after her statement. For the first time since he had entered; she met his dark almost jet black eyes. She found his eyes somewhat disturbing; they were hard glassy black, almost like a shark's.

"It was not my intention to offend you Christian. Only that it seems foolish to attempt to blackmail someone; then do away with your only leverage, and especially before the job is done. You know me Christian. I'm actually no one's friend, I choose my alliances very carefully, and I tend to keep those alliances. My actions are unpredictable in these cases at best; that's why you wanted leverage before you approached me, and that is also the reason that HE cannot control me. If you truly wish to know the limits to which I'll go; you simply need to ask."

He watched her very closely as she spoke; waiting for some signal of deception in her almost glittering blue green eyes, but all he saw there was disdain. He already knew that she despised him; it had been that way since the beginning, and he felt much the same. He eyes were possibly the only way to know her feelings; they seemed to shift color with her emotions, mostly varying shades of blue and green. He hated her eyes and the way she looked at his, as through she could see into the very depths of his soul.

"Very well, Phoenix, how far are you willing to go in order to keep them unharmed?" he asked.

"In order for you to leave them be? What you want is Kenneth Irons dead, correct?" she questioned,calmly and softly.

"Of course, that is our main objective." Christian replied.

"The who better to accomplish that goal than the assassin he himself engineered? He put an awful lot of time and money into making me the perfect assassin; so it would be a nice bit of irony, wouldn't you think? To have the killer he created kill him." Scarlett remarked, coldly. With her icy tone, her eyes seemed to turn a pale icy blue that nearly glowed. That particular color was well known among the Black Dragons; it usually meant someone's impending or recent demise, and was frequently seen after she was sent out alone. Very few of them would approach her without caution when they saw that color.

"You are willing to kill Kenneth Irons for me as long as I leave your current allies out of this affair. Very well, Phoenix. As long as they stay out of my way, I will not do anything to harm them. I understand how important it is for you to keep your current alliance, although I must express my curiosity as to why this sudden change of heart. I had heard you are something of an outsider."

"There are few places we as Black Dragons can go and not be outsiders, Firebird. As to my decision the reasons are my own; they include but are not limited to the simple fact that I owe a life debt, and you know I take my debts very seriously." she finished.

"Your debts are important to you, I can understand that. I wouldn't ask you to go against it, because it's who you are. I do, however ask you to afford me the same respect in the things I feel I must do." He said. The keys jingled as he reached up to undo the shackles. He then turned and left the room, leaving the door open behind him.

Scarlett rubbed at her wrists where the shackles had cut in to her skin, as she watched his exit. She wondered what to do now; as long as they stayed away from this, it would be okay. Through, she somehow had a feeling that was not in the cards, especially if Ian had anything to do with it. Either way it was a bad deal; she had promised Christian the death of Kenneth Irons, and that would bring her in to direct conflict with Ian. She would rather stay as far away as she could get from Irons and not fight against Ian.

Knowing Ian, he's already guessed at her real intentions for accompanying Christian and the others. He's already looking for some form of assistance; the problem with that was there were very few people that could come close to fighting on the same level as a a Black Dragon. The problem was she did know of at least two who were very close from what she's seen; she had no doubt that Ian knew that now as well, Christian would keep his word as long as they stayed away. Christian's part of the deal would end the second they set foot on these grounds; he couldn't ask her to act against them because of the debt she owed, but that did not mean that he could not act.

That meant that if Ian choose to take advantage of the information and the resources he had at his disposal; she would have to renegotiate with Christian, if he managed to catch them and assuming they did come here. Christian did not adhere to the principles of the life debt; nor did he remotely care who did, but there was a good reason why she chose to mention it to him at that moment.

According to the precepts governing the Black Dragons; if a Dragon owes their life to someone and that person is killed by accident or design, it is within rights for that Dragon to hunt and kill the one responsible. That was the case with Danny; while she would have submitted to Sara and Jake's authority, she still would have killed Dante eventually. It was also the reason she hadn't specified to who the debt was owed; none among the Black Dragons are willing to risk becoming her target.

"So you've done it?" Hector asked quietly, from where he was now standing in the doorway.

"If I hadn't done it, I'd still be hanging from the damn ceiling. In fact, it's probably not a moment too soon. If I know the way Ian works, and I know my own allies well enough, most likely they're already on their way here. Which also means the deal has already gone sour." she answered, equally as soft.

"How bad?" Hector asked.

"Christian will not harm them unless they interfere with his plans."

"I see. If they do come here..." he paused.

"It will be seen as an interference. If I hadn't taken the deal they would be fair game; even though I've agreed to his terms, they're still fair game. It's not as though it's a surprise; Christian enjoys other people's pain, I know he's enjoying the position I've been put in." she remarked calmly, turning to pick a blade from the table nearby.

"He's a real bastard." Hector commented as he saw the tattered bloody remains of the back of her shirt. immediately he slipped off his jacket and offered it to her, continuing;

"Filthy, fucking bastard. How dare he do this to you, you are our sister."

"It's of little consequence, Hector. Thanks though, for both the jacket and the outrage." she commented with a small smile for him. Then she continues;

"Actually I think I've interfered with Christian's little threat. Please inform the others that I owe my allies my life; it is the truth." she said, as she turned the knife in her hands.

"You're going to invoke a life debt, so it's that serious then?" he asked, just a hint of displeasure in his voice.

"It is. Everyone know what that entails, so there should be no mistakes. Also, please tell Alex that I will be needing his assistance." she said, wincing a little as she pulled the jacket on. Hector glanced at her after hearing her quiet hiss of pain.

"The others will not stand for this disregard of respect; they will want to act, and I'm not sure if I will be able to stop them." Hector stated, softly.

"Tell them that I said not to do anything, if you must tell them anything. After all I've done in order to achieve the results we need, I will allow nothing to ruin this chance. I will do what must be done, and nothing will stand in my way." Phoenix answered, taking the dagger and throwing it at the wall. The blade embedded itself into the concrete from the force of her throw; Hector stared at it for a moment as she left the room, and then he followed after her.

* * *

Alex stared silently at the long, bleeding red marks across her back left by Christian's whip; and he sighed. _Christian was brutal with her once again, I can understand why Hector did not want me to say where I was going, and why I should not say anything that I see._

"Sorry to call you about this again, Alexei." she said, catching both the sigh and the pained look he gave her.

"It's not a problem, it is my job after all." he answered; only she called him by that name, because only she was allowed to use it. He had done this every time before; usually he was informed by Hector, and it was not lost on Alex that she had called on him this time. Considering that she was one of the more difficult patients in his experiences, the fact that she had asked for him said a great deal about the past few hours. _It's hard to believe that one of us would be capable of doing this to another, considering all we've been through, and what we share._

"It's not of any consequence, Alexei. I've already told Hector not to let anyone act on this." she said, as if she was responding to his thoughts. She did that occasionally; seeming to respond to an unasked question or thought from one of the other Black Dragons, and it was nothing to any of them. It was a fact that they could all sense or feel something of the others on some level; it was strangely unsettling at first, but they had gotten used to it. That sense of each other had even saved their lives a few times.

"How many?" Alex asked quietly as he traced the lines gently with the alcohol soaked cloth. If it hurt, she did not react to the pain, but then pain was relative and an advantage. In her own words, pain let you know that your still alive.

"Two hundred and thirty seven; I counted them all, and that was the longest set." she replied, numbly.

"Thanks to our enhanced healing; since they are all superficial flesh wounds, these will all be sealed and gone in a matter of days. Hector said that you invoked the life debt, in order to keep your allies from harm, and that should force even Christian to hesitate." he commented.

"You don't find it odd for me to do so; especially since I know what happens to people who get close to me, and so does everyone else." she stated. She was distant now, her tone cold and mechanical. It was something he had seen before, something that all the Black Dragons feared, and it was very deadly.

Ian had discovered it first; he had described it correctly when he said that it was like she disappeared, and it felt so much colder in he presence. She locked away a part of herself; perhaps it was her heart or maybe her soul, but she did it in order to complete her missions. She slipped into the assassin persona far too easily in the last two days; they all knew she was preparing herself. This was the killer Irons had created, but could not control.

"Phoenix? Phoenix." he spoke, urgently; as the only one present he needed to keep her present in herself, and not let her fall any further into that state. _Call her back; it hasn't been long, I should be able to reach her still. If I cannot reach her, I'll have to go get Hector; because Ian is not here. It's too dangerous to let her stay like this; she's deadly enough without it._

Alex's unease grew when she did not respond; she stayed silent and did not even acknowledge his presence. This was where things usually got dangerous; the part of her that is the assassin did not like distractions of any kind, and did not tolerate any interference with the mission. He walked around her until he was directly in her line of sight; noting that her eyes were that dangerously pale blue, and this time he reached out for her shoulder knowing that physical contact could provoke a reaction from her. It worked either way though; she could either return to herself or beat him to a pulp. The assassin did not seem to recognize friend or foe, only her target.

"Shana." Alex said; his hand fell heavily on her shoulder, and he braced himself for an attack that thankfully did not come. She blinked and it was over. The ice blue of her eyes and the chill in the room that he sensed gave way to the more usual blue green and more temperate conditions in the room.

''I was gone again, wasn't I?" she asked softly, after she read the fear in his eyes.

"Yes, are you okay now?" he asked, finishing his careful work.

"I'm fine now, thank you, Alexei." Her tone was even; she appeared to be calm and reassuring, but he had noticed it. When Phoenix concentrated she could hide her emotions; even from her eyes but not at this time. The shifting color of her eyes is the deepest darkest blue.

"I didn't mean just your injuries." He said, softly and carefully.

"I know what you meant, but I don't have an answer to your actual question," she remarked, pensively.

Is it worth it?" he asked suddenly, startling her.

"I believe it is, Alexei. I've learned a lot away from the rest of you; I have something to fight for, and I've changed myself because of that. I made this bargain with Christian because I only wanted to do what I could; it's not the best choice, and it may even be the worst. Even if it is I just want everyone to live."

"Does that include you?" he asked quietly, already suspecting the answer. She meet his eyes for a moment; the darkest blue of the ocean's depths enough to drown anyone, but she said nothing and looked away.

He left soon after that probably to tell Moby of her state. She knew very well why Alexei had been afraid; it was far too easy for her to lose herself in that state, even if she hadn't truly done so in years. At first it had been uncontrollable when it happened but she had learned how to, and it even became helpful for a time. That had changed though; but in this current situation it was tempting to use it.

There are no doubts or fears in that state of mind; only the mission, and nothing else mattered because nothing else existed. Everything made perfect sense and fit in to place. It made things so much easier for her but there are reasons that it so troubled the other Black Dragons. When she let go of her sense of self and became immersed in the darkness where the assassin is the only one who exists; no one and nothing else mattered but the task at hand. There are no friends or foes in that state only her objective.

Danny had suggested that she locked away some part of herself when she was in that state, and that was where the the danger of it existed. She is levels beyond the other Dragons in that state; both as a combatant and a strategist. Anyone nearby becomes an obstacle to the completion of her mission and are treated as such. Both Moby and Ian had been viciously beaten trying to stop her; being the way that they are they never even attempted to fight back, and had suffered many broken bones for their troubles.

As tempting as the clarity that state of mind offered her; she had learned to fear it after that time, and she did not want o learn what it meant. The person she had been before; back when she had known who she was, would have never attacked either of them. It scared her to know what could happen if she let go. Ian had said that she was physically present but something vital inside was not; it was only luck that they could reach her, and call that part of her back into herself. It was too dangerous to lose herself now; she did not want to know exactly what she was capable of like that, and especially not with the things currently at risk.

Her hand touched the gold pendent that hung off the thin gold chain around her neck.

* * *

It was starting to get late in the day; it would be dark very soon and the night would hide the three of them well. Dragon's knowledge of Christian Blair had brought them here; where everything had been exactly as Ian had said it would be. It made Snake Eyes wonder how Ian was getting this information in such detail; either he has been given the information somehow or he was involved even deeper that he had claimed.

They had decided to move in after dark. Stormshadow was watching the dilapidated looking building for movement now; Jinx had reported seeing a few people outside of it but no sign of Scarlett. This thing with the Black Dragons was yet another mystery that had appeared since the White Bulls in New York. It seemed there were a lot of secrets surrounding her, connected to her; and it gave Snake Eyes a lot to think about. Danny Woo had been her connection to the White Bulls; his murder had been the reason she refused to walk away from that. She had disappeared again the night the trial had ended; he had noticed but he didn't say anything about it. There are apparently a lot of things she wouldn't speak of to anyone, except Ian. That brought to mind his private conversation with Ian that day.

#_Ian's private study was austere; to the point that it could have been an unused room. The walls were made of mahogany and the single desk was made of ebony; there was a small bookshelf stocked mostly poetry and classical works, and a black leather arm chair on one corner. The only item in the room that seemed to be personal was the light brown leather bound sketchbook on the desk. The cover was worn from use and there were several pencils on the desk around it. _

_Ian brushed his hand over it; almost caressing it before he opened it and started flipping the pages. He had yet to say anything._

_"This is my most valuable possession; it was a gift from my sister before I had to let her go, and it's important to me because of that. It's also important because it contains my memories of her. Mr. Irons doesn't like personal attachments, he calls any personal items 'useless clutter' but I will not give this up." he said, turning the pages with care._

_"I asked you in here because I felt you might be able to understand what I say. And because there are things you should know. I will tell you as much as I can. The first time I meet Shana I was struck by how beautiful she is, how open and friendly she was. I have spent my life with nothing and then suddenly I had friends, I had family. I'm very close to my sister and I enjoy that very much, but _HE_ found out about her. And she paid a price for letting me in; there's a darkness inside of her, and it's going to consume her. I've watched her bare it with a smile, and all the while I could only watch knowing I was unable to help her. I watched that burden become heavier and heavier; until it nearly crushed her, and I knew I had to find a way to save her." Ian glanced up away from the sketchbook, his hazel eyes meeting and measuring the man in front of him._

_"Between Daniel and myself, we were able to remove her from _HIS _attention. Even though I hated letting her go; I knew she was safer somewhere else, and I could have that little peace of mind. I didn't see her again until the White Bulls incident; I knew who you were the moment I laid eyes on you, and I found myself both envious and hateful of you. You were free to keep her; you were the one she turned to, and at the end she would leave with 's why I challenged you in the hospital; I wanted to fight you, and beat you so I could take her back. I never had siblings; so I wonder if this is how brothers feel when they discover they're no longer the only ones in their sister's lives. And then _HE_ make me realize that I could not protect her from _HIM_, not the way that you probably can. For as much as I love my sister; I know I can't keep her safe by having her with me." he said, sighing._

_~Is it Blair you are talking about? She seemed scared of him.~_

_"She fears Blair because he's a sadist who delights in the pain of others and he has an odd fascination with her pain. I would make things easier if it was Blair that I spoke of, but it's not. She fears Blair; she doesn't need protection from him, and when the time comes that he's pushed things too far he will be the one in need of protection. No, the one I speak of is much worse; I know from experience. I've done things from here that help keep her safe; it's all that I can do, and it keeps my sister safe from _HIM_ which is all I want. I know that she must feel the same way about you and those two out there. And it must go both ways because you're standing here." Ian said,watching the man before him._

_"What do you think she would do if Blair was to threaten the lives of those two outside? Or more likely your life? What would she do? What would you do if it was reversed?" Ian asked._

_~Find a way to stop him. Kill him first if it came down to it.~_

_"I'm certain that's precisely what she intends to do. She went with Blair because it was the only thing she could do; in order to keep you safe, and it became a risk she is willing to take only for you. Now realizing that, will you jeopardize it by rushing forward to help? " Ian asked, depending on the answer he would know much about this man._

_~I have to go there; because it's what I can do. Even if it makes her angry, or puts me in danger; I have to do it. Even if she doesn't need me there.~_

_"No, she needs you much more that you know; perhaps even more that she realizes herself. You can help her when I cannot, protect her where I cannot, and you can save her from what no one else can. For that alone I willingly entrust her to you." Ian said, his hands closed tightly on the cover of the book._

_~You keep that book with you to remind yourself why you do the things you must do.~_

_"Yes. That painting out there is the only one I've allowed to be displayed; I see it every time I come in this house and every time I leave. I use it to remind myself of why I am here." he replied as he set the sketchbook down on the table with reverence._#

Ian's words gave him a lot to think about. Scarlett, Ian Nottingham, Christian Blair, and the Black Dragons. And someone Ian would not name. It was a puzzle, and not only were the pieces not fitting together; some were missing altogether. A mystery that was wrapped in a riddle and cloaked in a conundrum. He fingered the small golden bird pendent; he had noticed the way Ian had stared at it, and had the feeling that he should not have it out in the open. Ian had recognized it that was certain; he had been surprised to see it, but did not seem alarmed by it.

That had been a relief because that person Dan had seemed like a nice guy. He thought maybe he was the one Ian was talking about; the nameless enemy that Ian was keeping away.

Night had fallen; it was time.

* * *

End note: Chapter 9 needs a little more work before it's posted. It should by finished in a couple of weeks. Maybe less; it depends on when I feel satisfied with it.

Thanks for reading; please leave a review, and let me know what you think of it. Maybe it will help me post faster.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Here is 2 chapters; hope you enjoy them. Thanks for reading.

* * *

Chapter 9

Night has fallen and all was quiet both within complex and outside. They had waited for this time to approach, slowly and cautiously making their way to the building. They moved through the corridors with little effort, almost surprised that they had not run into any sentries, and the lights were all out. They entered a room and the lights went on without warning; when the door slammed shut.

"I'd have thought you might be smarter and turned back when you noticed there were no guards. I had always felt that almost always screamed 'trap', but apparently that means nothing to you three. I've heard much of your reputation; I do hope you forgive me, but I have no intention of finding out whether or not it's true." the dark haired, dark eyed man in the middle of the encircling group spoke. He looked at them and then at the rest of his group; all armed and ready to fire. He aimed his own gun and said;

"I believe that it's important for your enemy to know the name of the person killing them. I am Christian Blair."

He pulled the trigger and at the last second; the barrel of his gun was knocked upwards. The timely appearance of the late arrival was either a relief or a nuisance depending on their point of view.

"Stand down," she said firmly, from where she now stood next to Christian. Several of the guns had lowered instinctively on her orders.

"This is interference, Pheonix." Christian said, threat edging his voice.

"/You should not be to hasty, Firebird; you wouldn't want our deal to end so soon. Or you life for that matter.\ I've told you before that I take the precepts very seriously. And everyone here has been warned what will happen if those rules are violated." She answered as she stepped away from where he was standing; to lean casually against the wall. She was wearing all black and her long red hair was tied back in a tight, thick braid.

"/Are you going back on our deal, Pheonix?\" Christian asked.

"/Not at all. Kenneth Irons will die, as agreed. However, if you do not stand down; you will not outlive him by very long.\" she said quietly, her tone shifting from indifferent to cold; and her eyes just beginning to shade towards the pale ice blue.

Her tone and the icy blue eyes told him how serious she was about that threat. It was of great interest to him; her debt aside, she rarely showed such interest in anything. It could be possible that these people might be more useful than he had originally thought.

"From the sound of it, Phoenix; one might think you actually care for these humans. If that's true, you only need say so" Christian said, there was something in the way he said the word 'humans' that did not sound right.

"I made it perfectly clear that this is about a debt; it has nothing to do with how I or anyone else may feel, and that is besides the point." she replied.

"You've bargained for their lives; considering the price to be paid for this deal, and the lengths necessary in order to complete it. I have to say it makes me curious about the deal. Allow me to ask is this worth the price?" he asked.

"Why do you care? You consider these three to be inferior; they are of little worth to you either way, and it changes nothing. You will get what you want, Christian, as long as you keep your word." she remarked.

"Your price seems a bit steep, pretty bird. Three lives for his death; even if they are inferior that is rather expensive." he said, watching her carefully. She shifted her stance; sparing a glance at the three ninjas before she spoke;

"Price is defined by the parties involved; you're getting a deal, Christian. What you ask is no simple matter; why the collateral damage alone will probably be monumental, and that's not even mentioning the trouble I'll have to go to in order to get out afterwards. I'm risking my life for this job and I demand proper compensation for it."

"Of course, proper compensation must be given for everything. Do not give too much as a payment or charge too much for a service. It should always be fair or someone could get hurt." he responded, his tone was cordial; but his eyes are cold, hard pieces of jet. Her green blue eyes narrowed in response to the threat she read there.

"I will do whatever is necessary to accomplish my own goals, Christian. I suggest that you keep that in mind," she answered with the slightest edge in her voice.

"I understand, dear Pheonix. I'm certain we have more important matters to discuss; so hopefully there will be no more distractions. The rest of you can put these humans some place out of the way." he ordered as he walked out of the room.

After a moment of hesitation she turned to follow him. The ninjas notice a look exchanged between Scarlett and the tall African American man in the corner of the room; there was no actual exchange between them, and the slight nod he gave her was almost imperceptible.

* * *

It was only hours before dawn when she made her way to the place Christian had designated as the holding area; Scarlett knew exactly where it was, and it had only been days ago that she was in there. Jean and Lucius were currently on duty; Alexei and Antonio would be taking over in a couple of hours, and she really did not care who was on duty. Christian was smart enough not to put her on watch down here; he did not trust her that far, and he knew that with enough time she could get the doors unlocked without the key. Christian also knew he could not stop her form coming to make sure he was keeping his word; the men would allow her some time, and it was part of the deal. She stepped up to the two guards calmly.

"How has it been?" she asked, it was all old routine for them all.

"Quiet. Haven't heard so much as a peep." Lucius answered her, his tone was very professional.

"Doesn't necessarily mean something's not happening, mon ami." Jean replied, caution in his lightly accented voice.

"He's right. Just because it's quiet, doesn't mean you should let your guard down," she remarked. This conversation was merely for the benefit of the audio and video surveillance out here in the hall. He had neglected to do so in the other rooms; something she had made a note of during her previous stay in there, and something she would take advantage of.

"Why don't you two take a walk? Nothing's going to happen while I'm here." She offered.

"Are you sure that's wise, Pheonix?" Lucius asked, uncertainly.

"I'm sure. Christian is watching us now; he knows I'm not going to try anything at this point. I'm not that reckless after all. He can't keep me from being here; so he probably wants to test me, and see if I'll keep my word." She said, glancing back at the camera. She knew very well that he was there; observing them and listening in on their conversation.

"If you're sure," Lucius said, softly.

"I am. Christian wants Moby's and my ideas on how we should begin proceeding with our mission. Once things really get underway, there probably won't be a moment's peace for any of us, so we should take whatever we can get now." She remarked casually.

"Okay, chere. We'll see you in a little while. Don't be in there too long." Jean answered as he undid the locks on the door before the two walked away.

She watched them walk until they turned the corner, then she turned towards the unlocked door with a quiet sigh. Her thoughts turning to countless possibilities that could happen now. She had to change her carefully constructed plans and make new contigency plans, and all the while she thought: _'This is a problem to say the very least; while I considered this a possibility, I had hoped it would not happen. I can handle this on my own and I prefer this to be done alone. Hector and the others can look after themselves; and capable of handling Christian on their own as well. No one else was supposed to be involved. Damn it, this is supposed to be an internal issue.'_

* * *

"Why are you here? What in the hell were you thinking, coming here? You don't realize the trouble you caused or what you've done, do you?" Scarlett asked as she paced the length of the room in front of the cell, turning a small revolver in her hands.

"Other than getting caught?" Stormshadow asked sardonically. Her cornflower blue eyes snapped to him as she fidgetted with the gun. It was odd to see her fidget like that, she was usually calm.

"You've ruined several days worth of planning; hours upon hours of hard work is now useless. You don't know the kind of last minute deals I had to make just to keep you alive for the time being. And even that is only temporary." She responded, continuing to turn the gun over in her hands.

~And then?~ Snake Eyes signed. It was a question she expected; she stopped turning the gun and stared down at it for a long minute before she spoke.

"The next move belongs to Christian; until I know what he's going to do I can't do anything, and if I act too soon it likely that someone will end up dead for it. You should not have come here; you will not be leaving alive." she said softly.

"You know Christian Blair, Scarlett. What do you think he's going to do?" Jinx asked.

Scarlett turned the gun over again; pausing to check the chamber, and she glanced at them without saying anything. Her silence itself was telling.

"So Christian Blair is going to kill us and we're not leaving here alive? The odds are what, six to four? We've survived worse odds than that. It's practically nothing." Stormshadow stated.

"Normally, I'd argee; but this situation is anything but normal. I know Christian and I know everyone else here; I've taken certain precautions, but that will only last so long. You might think the odds are in your favor but they are not, you don't know what they, no, what we are capable of. I know very well, that's why I can be certain that you will not be leaving here alive." she said turning the gun yet again.

~Not without help, you mean.~

"Ian gave me this the day the White Bulls fell; the bullets it uses are armor piercing, and I used it to kill Bruno Dante. I will give this to you if you wish; I'll open the door and let you walk out. I only ask one thing in return." She spoke quietly; there was something wrong, and she held out the gun.

~What is it?~ As he signed he had the suspicion that he was not going to like her answer; something felt very wrong about this.

"When they attack, you'll take this gun and kill me. That should be enough to slow them down; it'll give them pause, and you may be able to get away." she finished calmly.

~You cannot be serious.~ he signed, staring into her dark blue eyes. Scarlett was acting as though she was talking about the weather; like she had not just told him to kill her as though it did not matter, and that was too much.

"I'm very serious; that's the only way you'll get out of here alive right now, and you'll ruin Christian's plans as a bonus." she said nonchalantly, as she stepped closer to the cell.

~Are you listening to yourself? You know I will not do that. You know I cannot.~ There was anger there now; she could read it more easily then his words, and she turned away. When she spoke again; it was low and soft.

"I am and I do know that, but my life is already forfeit anyway. Christian will never allow me to walk away from this; but there are fates far worse than death, I know that very well. If given the choice, I would rather chose death. If granted the opportunity, I would want it to be useful." Scarlett answered far too calmly.

~That's not going to happen. You said something about a deal. What is it he wants?~

"He wants a very powerful person dead. That's probably just to begin with; you overheard a fair amount about it"

"Who does he want dead? And what does it have to do with you?" Jinx asked, curiously.

"It's obvious. He wants her to do it. If anything goes wrong Scarlett takes the fall." Storm supplied.

"There will be no fall to take; if things do go wrong then I'll be dead anyway. As for who; it's not something I can tell you or anyone, and those that actually know him probably won't miss him if I suceed."

"So this person who ever he is, is a complete bastard?" Storm asked.

"No. You met the bastard just now. This man, HE is much worse. And anything involved with him is on the top of the list of fates that are worse than death." she replied; there was something else in her tone now, a mix of disgust and bitter hatred.

~There's a few things I don't understand.~

"There's a lot of things happening here that you wouldn't understand." she answered,

~Then try to explain. What is happening here?~

"I can't explain it. There is a price to pay for that knowledge, one much too expensive, and I have no wish to pay or collect it. Please don't ask me to," she said, quiet exhaustion in her voice. There was very little she had to give them in information or otherwise; the consequences would be dire for that. There was too much happening now; too much that was at stake, and no where near enough viable options.

A sharp heavy knock broke the tense silence that had settled over the room; the exhaustion she had displayed only minutes before vanished as the door opened, and the African American man from earlier stepped in. His movements were slow and cautious when he approached her; his manner was deferential, and he did not speak until she gave him her attention.

"It's time to leave." he said softly.

"Did Christian send you to get me?" She asked, there was an edge to her voice.

"Of course not. I only follow your orders. You know that, milady. However, if you stay here too long; Christian will come looking for you. I know you don't want him paying too much attention." he said,

"You're right, Moby, I don't need his attention. Not now; we need to make preparations. It will be a long day tomorrow." she said to him as she walked towards the door. He made to follow her; pausing to look at them, his gaze was assessing. A long second passed of meeting his dark gaze; then he gave a slight nod to them, and followed her out the door.

* * *

Lucius and Jean were back in the corridor when they exited the room; they exchanged slight nods of acknowledgement as they passed each other. Continuing through the halls, they soon passed Alex and Antonio on their way to relieve Lucius and Jean. Only those four were doing guard duty; Christian didn't trust her with it, and Hector could really care less about it. Besides, Christian wanted them both to help with his plans; and so they had different duties than the others. It wasn't much longer until they reached the room that she had been using.

"It's true, isn't it? What Christian suggested, you care about those people." Hector said to her,as she shut the door behind them.

"Yes; I've decided that I will do whatever is necessary to see that they make it out of here alive." she answered without hesitation.

"Even if it compromises yourself? Or costs you your life? With Christian involved, you could lose everything that you've worked for and your life. And you're willing to risk all of that for a handful of outsiders?" he asked.

"Have you ever considered the possibility that we are the outsiders, Moby? We exist in the darkness; living in the shadows, and it's difficult to live in shadow. We walk with and among Death itself, as its emissaries. This existence is full of pain and torment; nothing should have to exist like we do." she told him, sadly.

"I know it's difficult for us all. Hopefully we can all find different existences after this is over." he remarked. softly.

"I would hope so for all of you. It would be nice." she commented.

"And what of you? What will you do when this is over?"

"I'll go back to where I came from; which is exactly where I want to be, and maybe this time my past will stay in the past where it belongs. I've tried to change who I am; being here I'm caught in who I was in the past, and I don't wish to be that person anymore. I feel as though I'm being dragged down by the memories of the past. The longer I'm here the heavier it becomes." she answered.

"It will be over soon; we will all see to that, and you can have any wish you want." Hector said softly.

"Soon? Sure, I just have to wait, right?" she asked.

"Get some sleep, Shana. Tomorrow will be a long day."

"You get some sleep, Moby. I've got plans to make, a lot of plans to make." she muttered, stifling a yawn. She had not slept much here; if anyone here would have noticed that, it would be Hector. He and Ian paid too much attention sometimes; it was odd that she found it annoying from them, but not from certain other people.

"Nothing will happen; the plans can wait until morning, my lady. You need the rest or else you'll be dead on your feet in the morning, and your plans will count for nothing. Call it a request from your concerned brother." Hector stated quietly.

"Fine. I'll get some sleep. I really do wish you and the others would just call me by my name; technically we are family after all." she remarked as she ushered him out of the door.

* * *

"It must be hard not knowing what's going on. Phoenix knows, but I'm sure she hasn't told you anything, she's far too careful for that. Considering the lengths she was willing to go to; the mission she was suddenly willing to do, and I figure you must be special to her. That she was even willing to invoke a form of protection that had only existed for one other person." Christian commented. He held a piece of cloth in his hand; Antonio stood nervously at the door, and Alex had left.

"It was different with Woo; he was there at the beginning, and so that made sense. You don't. But still you're important in some way to her, and I can find some way to use that to my advantage," he continued.

He did not get a response from any of them; not that he expected any differently. Christian tossed something into the cell; a simple scrap of light colored cloth, the edges were torn and it was stained a dark red.

"That happened just last night. Two hundred and thirty seven; that's how many times I cut into her, much more then the previous nights. She has a lot of pride; not once did she cry out, but pride can be deadly itself." Christian said, smirking when he saw the man in black reaching or the cloth.

"Shall I give you the details? I hung her from the ceiling. I watched the shackles cut into her after hours, I watched her bleed; and my whip cut into her even more. Last night I turned her shirt into shreds of cloth; that's where that came from. There's just something arousing about seeing her covered in her own blood." Christian's comment made Antonio stiffen.

_'Just a little further,_' Christian thought as he watched the man's hand clench tightly on the bloodstained cloth. While the threat or retaliation would keep the others from voilating Phoenix's oath, he just did not care. _'It may even be interesting to see if she can actually kill me.'_

tbc


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

It had only been a couple of hours since she had spoken to Moby and retired to her room; when the knocking came, an incessant, insistent thumping against the door. She had tried to sleep as Moby had requested but simply could not find any rest.

Something was wrong. Something was triggering her internal alarms. Her times on solo trips as an assassin had left her with a hypersensitive sense of intuition when it came to threats on her own life. On occasion that was the only reason she returned alive; it was what had allowed her to act before Bruno Dante in the warehouse, and she had learned to trust it explicitly.

"Alexei, what is it?"

"You need to come with me. Christian's in there." Alex said swiftly.

"Damn it. Go get Moby." She responded, not bothering to close the door behind her as she past him into the hall. "Go get him now."

Alex turned and headed towards Moby's room to do as she said. She turned the corner and made her way swiftly back to the holding area.

* * *

Christian stepped forward in order to continue; when something shiny caught the light as it sailed past his nose. It hit the wall with a 'thwk' sound as it embedded itself in the concrete.

"That's enough, Christian." she interrupted, there was something sharp and cold in her quiet words. A few steps behind her, stood a man with sandy brown hair and amber eyes. He was not quite Ian's height and there was nervous tension in his stance. At the door was the man from earlier; Moby was carefully watching everything.

"It's only conversation." Christian remarked, "No need to rile yourself up over simple words."

"There's nothing simple about provocation, Christian. I know what you were trying to do here, and it was not going to work." she said, quietly. She ran her fingers over another long slender piece of metal in her hands. Christian watched her touch, almost caress the item while she watched him with those icy blue eyes.

"I have yet to do anything, Phoenix." Christian stated.

"Make sure you keep it that way, Christian."

"Is that an threat, dear Phoenix?

"No, of course not, Christian, It's a promise, one that I fully intend to see it through; that's precisely why no one wishes to be your accomplice in this particular act. They know better." she remarked, coldly.

"And so Alex went to fetch you, did he?" he asked, glancing at the sandy haired man.

"Alex did inform me, yes. He knows as well as you do the consequences of violating that particular rule." she answered.

"As far as I know, I haven't done anything. It's not violated unless I kill them. I can provoke them if I wish, as long as no harm comes to them." Christian said calmly.

"While that is technically true; I must strongly suggest that you do not provoke anyone. I've found that those who would; well, they tend to end up dead. One way or another." She remarked casually.

"Are you saying they can beat a Black Dragon? These inferiors?" Christian asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I never said that. I'm simply saying that those who provoke tend to wind up dead. That's all." She answered him.

"Thanks for the warning, Phoenix. I'll be sure to keep it in mind." Christian said.

"See that you do. That's the last one you'll be getting." She stated as he walked to the door.

"To show that I take your warning seriously, I'll leave first. But you should be careful about making promises you can't keep, Phoenix."

At that Christian walked out, and she moved quickly to follow him. Intending to go after him; but Moby caught her arm, stopping her at the door.

"Leave it be, Phoenix." Moby whispered.

"Let go." she hissed back at him; pulling away.

"Do not play into his hands, Shana, you know that is what he wants," Moby said softly.

"Fine. It's left. For now, Hector, only for now." she replied as she went out the door. Without any hesitation, Moby turned and followed her out into the corridor.

* * *

"Things certainly get intense when Phoenix is around, huh?" Alex asked, trying to diffuse the tense atmosphere in the room. Movement caught his eye from the cell, and Alex approached.

~What happened last night?~

As Alex took a moment to consider what was to be done in this situation, Phoenix asked him not to tell anyone, but he doubted that this was just anyone asking. In fact he'd been trying to decipher the whole of these events for a while now; while he had a good start with his own suspicions and the little Phoenix would tell him, it would be useful to know more about the situation.

"He wants to know what happened last night." the man in white said.

"Yes I know. I apologize that my silence caused you to think that I did not understand, all of us are able to understand ASL; among many other languages. Antonio, would you mind stepping outside?"

"Actually, I would. I wish to know as well. But I only want to know one thing and then I'll leave. Did Christian speak the truth? About what he did? 237?" Antonio asked pointedly.

"It is the truth." Alex answered, quietly. At that answer, Antonio spat several words in various languages before he stormed out. Alex winced as he turned back to the three in the cell.

"That's the general opinion of Christian's idea of a past-time; and precisely why she didn't want anyone else to know just yet. I know only what I saw and what she did tell me, I will share what I do know; but in return I would like to ask a few things of you." Alex stated. His response was a single nod.

"I should start with why I know what occurred last night, my name is Alex Crastonov and I am the field medic for this unit. I've seen and can recall every wound my comrades and I have taken; it's my responsibility to treat each one to the best of my abilities. Phoenix is one of the more difficult patients I have. She would be one of the last to actually call on me, you need to understand; usually Moby tells me to see to her. Often Dragon himself ordered her to let me. This time she asked for me; that alone told me it would be bad. I've seen plenty of wounds on my comrades, it's the nature of my duty; but this..." he paused.

"This was worse than I had seen before. Christian is a sadistic bastard with no remorse; and she is his current target of choice, maybe because she doesn't react the way he wants. Physical pain means nothing to her; it is only an annoyance to us, and can be ignored in favor of more pressing matters. It's an abomination to the rest of us that he can do such a thing to her. We won't act because she does not wish it, and she continues to ignore what he does. She simply refuses to act on something she sees as so insignificant."

~It is not insignificant.~

"You see things the way we do, however she sees it as such, because it only affects her. If it's only her then it doesn't matter, you see? It's when it starts to affect others that it changes; she cares little for her own life, it's been that way for a while now. Since she truly cares little for her own life, it's easy to sacrifice it for others, all she needs is a worthy cause in her mind. It's a frightening thought for the rest of us; that she would choose to do such a thing, especially when we consider her the best of us." Alex said.

~Why is it that way?~

"I'm a medic. I've seen all manner of wounds; the physical ones always heal with time, some to the point where you cannot see them unless you knew of them. In us those wounds heal much faster than normal; only serious or near fatal wounds can leave scars on us."

~Wounds inside are different.~

"So you do know about that. How much do you know?"

~I know that it exists. Not how or why it exists, only that it is there. The wound itself is too raw to bring up without causing more pain.~

"That sounds right. It's not something she can speak of easily. Out of respect we will not speak of what little that we know either. It is not our pain to own or to share. It's a burden she would much rather keep to herself; even if the weight of it crushes her." Alex stated.

"Initially I had several questions to ask you myself, but I find I only need the answer to one; because I already know the answers to the rest. Are you strong enough?" Alex asked.

~Strong enough for what?~

"To help her. To save her from the darkness that threatens to consume her. I hope you are because if something doesn't change soon; it will kill her."Alex said, direly as he walked out of the room.

* * *

When Alex stepped out of the room, he found Antonio standing outside in the hall again, looking much calmer than when he had stormed out.

"Did you get your answers?" Antonio asked, leaning against the wall.

"Yes, I actually ended up asking less questions than I thought I would have to in order to get them. In fact I only had to ask one." Alex stated.

"Really? I assumed it would take more than that. One question managed to satisfy your curiosity?" Antonio asked, uncertainly.

"No that question was not really answered, but it doesn't matter. All the answers I required were there in the context of the conversation and in Phoenix's words." Alex replied.

"So you didn't really get answers but you did get answers. That's unusual. And you're satisfied with that?" Antonio questioned.

"Yes, and unusual is quite normal for us. I learned all I needed to in order to be sure of Phoenix's choice." Alex said, confidently.

"Good. Now explain it to me, again." Antonio responded.

"There really is nothing to explain. Other then the fact that they are a lot alike, and he knows about Phoenix's wounds; the ones that cannot be healed."

"She told them that? Even though we know of it, she will not speak the details she knows to us." Antonio remarked, incredulously.

"She did not tell them; it's still something she cannot speak of easily. He knows it exists but not what caused it. You know as well as I do that the only ones who can sense such things are the ones who know a similar pain inside." Alex answered.

"I see. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense." Antonio said.

"Yes, it's only natural after all. People who are missing something are drawn to each other." Alex stated.

* * *

Phoenix made her way purposefully through the complex; Christian had sent for her and she was in no position to refuse. Right now he had all the leverage he needed in order to get what he wanted. He had already proved that he could do as he wished without any consideration for the deal. If Ian did not show soon; she would likely have to do this herself. It was not something she hadn't done before; but there were doubts.

It was not that Christian did not deserve death; that was already decided, and even if she wanted otherwise she couldn't change that. Her doubts all centered on what would happen if she failed this task. Failure was not an option here and now. This was why so many of her assignments had been solo missions; only her life had been risked, and that made it easier on her. Now a single false move could result in death, not just her own, but other's as well. Such things may not matter to the assassin; but it did to her.

The next moves were crucial; they could decide the ultimate outcome, she knew. Everything rested on what was to come.

tbc

A/N: R&R please. I appreciate any comments you might have on the story.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Just a short one today.

* * *

Chapter 11

Christian smiled as he set aside the liquid filled syringe he had been preparing. On the table next to the syringe was his favorite whip; the light glinted off the sharpened metal barbs woven into the leather. He knew that she would come here to this room even if everything inside of her screamed not to; in her current position she would not have a choice.

The current her cared too much for those inferiors in the holding cell; if she would just let go of her illusion of humanity, she may be able to come out of this unscathed. The assassin in her; the past her, would easily be able to finish this without hesitation. As she was now; she'd never be able to kill him, not while she let her emotions rule her.

_'Emotions. __Compassion. Affection. Attachment. Those were all signs of weakness. Signs of dependency. Those bonds only served to tie her down. There were much more dangerous reasons why these weaknesses should not be allowed.'_ Christian knew as he was exploiting one of them. Through the threat to them, Phoenix could be made to do anything.

He glanced up as she entered; noting the black pants that were regulation for the Black Dragons and the pale blue shirt that was not. She was an elemental creature, a force of nature that would have no man master her. Only a god could control her; Christian wanted to be that god.

He saw her watching him with those blue green eyes; giving him **that** look, the one he hated. Those eyes that looked right through him; they pierced the soul, and knowing everything about him. There was treachery in those eyes; the kind that said if she could risk it at this very moment, she would desperately love to see him dead.

"You wanted something?" she asked, calmly. Her tone was cool, lacking any form of emotion.

"I know you don't want to be here. This room makes you uncomfortable, doesn't it?" he asked.

"It's inconsequential. What did you want?" she asked again. She glanced at his table; anger and defiance mixed in her now icy blue eyes.

"I'm willing to cut you a deal; much better than your first one. I'll let you wash your hands of this whole thing and walk away. You don't have to kill Irons, or fight Ian; you can just walk away."

"What price will I pay in order to leave here, Christian? I'm no fool, I know very well that there's a catch to your offer." she responded.

"Sever the bonds, Phoenix. You can walk away, but only you alone. Those three inferiors will have to stay and I will do as I wish with them. All you need to do is sever the bonds and walk away." Christian stated

"It cannot be done. The bonds of fate are already tied. No matter how unimportant the meeting or how small the outcome; it will always have some later effect. It could be the smallest of things or the shortest of moments. It may never be remembered or even recorded. A bond of fate will never disappear once tied; so it's impossible to sever it."

"If you do, you can walk away. For you who values your freedom above all else; it should be an easy decision to make," he reasoned.

"Walk away and allow others to face the consequences of my own actions? Turn my back and pretend that it doesn't matter? The answer is no, Christian."

"I'll ask one final time, Phoenix. You or them?" he finished with a pointed look at the table.

"You dare too much, Christian," she answered, glacial blue eyes narrowing at his implication. She might not be able to beat him; but like hell was she going to stand by now, not while she still lived.

"You're hardly in any position to be making threats, Phoenix." he commented.

"I'm warning you, Christian. Whatever you may do to me, well it's me; so I can take it. However, when you take someone I care about and hurt them; that is something I will not stand for." She said, icily.

"Really?" he asked as he reached for the coiled whip.

She did not respond while she waited for his next move; she had been ill prepared for this confrontation, but it had to be done. Even though she had been trained as an assassin; she had never truly desired the kill, she'd never been that coldblooded. In Christian's case, however; she was willing to make an exception.

Christian's whip snapped against the linoleum floor; she heard the sound of metal strike the tiles. He'd done that for a reason; he wanted her to know what he intended to use, because he knew it would anger her. It would come down to speed; whether she was faster than his strike. She was her own weapon, but she would need to get close to him first. She could not take him head on; her best chance would be to keep moving until she got close enough. That meant dodging the whip, but staying inside his range.

She had jumped over his first strike and managed to sidestep his second. The third, however, caught her left leg and the sharp metal barbs tore into her flesh. Christian pulled on the whip causing it to tighten, and bring her to the ground.

He watched her on the floor as she unwrapped the whip from around her leg. Then she fixed him with a glare with her glittering glacial blue eyes. Those eyes, like pale sapphires filled with anger and defiance. He stood over her, the whip in his hand.

"Those eyes. I remember those eyes. I promised myself that I would get back at you for every time you looked at me with those eyes." he said as he drew back the whip.

* * *

He had left her there, for how long she was not certain, lying face down on the floor. Once again, the back of her shirt was in near tatters, damp with her blood from the many gashes and lacerations left by the whip. She stayed there bleeding, silent and still. The room was quiet; he'd cleaned the whip and left for now but he'd be back.

She knew above all how to be patient; her time to strike was almost at hand

tbc


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12

Hector was worried; he had neither seen nor spoken to Phoenix all morning, and he had been the last one to see her last night. No one had seen her since and there were not many places she could disappear to within the complex. He knew that she would not leave here; not with the lives at stake, she would prefer to die first. Whatever may or not be; the only way Christian would be able to touch them was over her cold and rotting corpse.

"Moby," the call was followed by a sharp whistle from behind him. At the sound, he turned and faced Lucius who was running up the corridor towards him.

"Have you found her?" Hector asked, assuming that Lucius's urgency had something to do with his current dilemma.

"No, but she will likely find us soon enough. Our dear sister is not going to be happy when she does." Lucius said.

"What do you mean?" Hector asked, raising an eyebrow. _'Our sister is sweet and kind.'_ he thought.

"Christian came down to Holding; and he took one." Lucius responded.

"What do you mean he took one? He not supposed to touch any of them, Phoenix was adamant about that. Which one?" Hector demanded. _'She is good hearted, not normally one to hold a grudge.'_

"The one in black. The quiet one." Lucius said, having enough sense to look scared.

"How did Christian manage that? I know neither you nor Jon would help him; not with Phoenix so against it. I doubt it could have been done without a fight. They're skilled; they must be to be to have earned Phoenix's respect." Hector reasoned swiftly; making a conscious effort to ignore the chill running up his spine._ 'She is one of the purest individuals I know.'_

"There was no fight; Christian made it very clear when he told him, and I quote:'you either come with me or she will die.'" Lucius replied.

"Damn it. Alex was right; they are the exact same, not only that but they are the keys to each other." Hector groaned. _'That said, her temper is legendary. She is perhaps the most deadly one among us. She is fiercely protective of what belongs to her; and she will not tolerate anyone threatening that which is hers.'_

"What should we do, Moby? Once Phoenix finds out..." Lucius trailed off, they both knew the possibilities regarding their sister.

"We find her first, Lucius; or there's a good chance we may all wind up dead." Hector said, solemnly.

* * *

"So here we are," Christian commented to his current 'guest'. The silence was unnerving him and so was his prisoner, who seemed to be analyzing him; just as Phoenix did. They were both too calm in a way that unnerved him, and he did not like that at all. He wanted a reaction; he needed to know that he got under the silent man's skin. He already knew exactly how to get that reaction.

"It's really quite inspirational to some, you know, this thing you have with Phoenix. The others, they all worship the ground she walks on; they're completely enchanted by the mere thought of her. She's quite precious to them, and to you as well, I'd wager. It must be nice for you to know that she obviously thinks the world of you. I know that for a fact because that's her blood staining the floor; she spilled it when she tried to fight me to protect you only hours ago. She didn't cry out, she has too much pride for that, like I said. She bleeds quite beautifully, and I believe I ruined another shirt of hers."

As Christian finished he watched the anger seem to emanate off the man in waves; he was pleased by this.

"I must admit to being a bit surprised by how little you understand about this situation. She came here willingly; knowing fully well what could happen to her, all so you wouldn't have to be here. She went to these lengths in order to protect you and you just throw that away just like it was nothing. You must think she's a fool to try to protect worthless trash like you. I should thank you for coming here; this would not be as much fun for me if you had not." Christian said reaching for his whip.

* * *

She listened from her place in the small alcove of the room; watching and waiting for the right time. She is a predator; a highly trained hunter, she knew all about how to be patient. She could wait forever unless she became annoyed or angry about something. Listening to Christian's voice annoyed her to some extent; not enough to really provoke her. It was the sound that followed that angered her. She had become very familiar with that sound over the last few days; the first made her flinch in reflex when she heard it, and her body recalled the pain that accompanied that sound.

Leather made a distinct sound as it moved through the air at high speed before meeting flesh. The sound was even more unique because of the metal barbs in the whip.

_'You were warned. Those foolish enough to ignore a warning once given must pay the penalty.'_ She slowly, silently made her way out of the alcove. Christian paid little attention to his surrounding when he was having his 'fun', so there was only a slight chance he'd notice her before she wanted him to do so.

She moved behind Christian as the whip sailed back through the air. She raised her right arm, letting it wrap tightly around her arm and the barbs dig into her skin. She held the whip where it began to wrap near her wrist; the barbs in the leather pierced her palm, causing blood to flow from her hand.

"No more." she whispered softly, her ice blue eyes fixed on Christian. While her words were quiet; it was misleading, and her tone was about as soft as velvet wrapped steel. It was a command, a threat issued as a final warning, and all three of them knew it.

"I suppose this is where you tell me that I should pay more attention to my surroundings, or perhaps locked the door." Christian said turning to her.

"Do you really think the door would stop me, Christian? Did you actually think I'd allow this?" she asked, her voice is low and menacing. Her glittering, almost glowing glacial blue eyes are locked on her adversary.

* * *

Snake Eyes watched the pair as they stood against one another; they watched only each other, and waited for the first move. The pain from the whip was something he could easily ignore, but it was not so easy to ignore what had caught his attention.

Numerous rips and tears stained a dark red on the back of her shirt, there was no way he could not notice that. He had known about it; Christian had all but bragged only moments ago, but seeing proof was a different matter.

/\/\_"It does not matter to her,' Alex said to them, 'As long as it is only her life, it never matters to her. But when it involves more than just her that is only when it begins to matter."_/\/\

'_I knew what she was trying to do. She was sacrificing herself to try to protect everyone else. If it is her life; it might not matter to her, but it does to me._'

* * *

"It would appear that you wish to attack me, Phoenix. That is not a surprise; but are you certain you should try it now, it hasn't been very long since you last tried." he stated before he yanked hard on the whip's handle.

It tightened around her arm, sliding through her hand; cutting and tearing into her flesh. She did not try to release it; instead she tightened her grip and pulled back in a swift, hard tug. Christian was unprepared for that action, losing his grip on the whip as the handle went flying in her direction. She caught it deftly and started to twirl it aroung in a circling arc.

"You were warned, Christian," she said coldly; "A warning is only given once in this world."

* * *

The tables had turned when Christian Blair lost his weapon, that was evident in the way he stepped backwards to the table as she advanced on him. Their focus was only on the threat before them; like nothing else mattered at the moment, at least not to them. Nothing but their opponents: each other; they both ignored Snake Eyes as he watched them.

He watched and stayed as still as he could. If he moved; he would draw their attention and that could shift the balance once more. He knew as well as she did, the reason why being identified as his weakness made her angry was because it was true. It is a truth both of them acknowledged; as it would be worse to dismiss it. They were far more devastating weapons against each other than anything else in the world.

* * *

She swung the handle of the whip at him, but he ducked, the second time it caught him in the left side of his face.

"You're going to pay for that, Phoenix," he growled, spitting blood and a tooth on to the floor, as he reached behind him to the table. His hand closed on the liquid filled syringe.

He caught the next swing as it came at his head and used the whip to pull her in closer. He took the syringe and stuck it into her arm, pushing the plunger down before he released it, the whip still held taunt between them.

That had been an unexpected move for him taking her off guard; her mind registered the syringe's presence momentarily, and then immediately dismissed it. Shana refocused again completely on Christian, as her free hand snagged up a blade from his tool table. An instant later she had sliced through the whip in one swift movement.

Both of them stumbled back a couple of steps before they regained their footing. Christian began to circle her slowly; like a predatory animal; she followed his movements so that she faced him the entire time. She would not take the risk of giving him any opening; not when the slightest mistake could mean the difference between life and death.

* * *

He had noted the syringe; the way she had paused long enough to pull it out and toss it aside, and it did not matter to her at all. She had been surprised by the action but not really concerned about it. It had been regarded and dismissed in the same way one might dismiss an annoying insect. It was hard for him to not be concerned about what had been in that syringe, even if she was not.

* * *

Christian moved fast and sudden; charging at her as she stood her ground. At the last possible second, she sidestepped him causing him to go right passed her. As he turned to face her, her bootheel hit the right side of his head. He dropped to the ground out cold.

"Fool. Never get caught in your opponent's range and never grant them a clean shot at you." she said, sighing; before she started going through Christian's pockets for the keys. Once she found them, it only took her a few seconds to free Snake Eyes.

~Are you alright?~

"Fine. I think I should be the one asking that question." she answered.

~I'll be okay. It looks like her hurt you more.~ Snake signed, motioning to her back where her shirt was stained deep dark red.

"Don't worry about that. It's nothing. " she responded, taking the handcuffs and hooking them to the leg of the bolted table.

~You're asking the impossible.~

"Why do you say that?" she asked, watching him walk over to the corner of the room.

~It's not possible for me not to worry about you. It's like not breathing; I could try, but I would not be able to do it for long.~ he paused to pick up the syringe from the floor. ~What was in here?~

"Considering it was Christian, it could be any number of things," she remarked, dragging Christian over to the table.

~Poison?~ That thought had occcured to Snake Eyes the moment he saw the syringe.

"No, that is the one thing that it would definately not be. Christian's a sadistic bastard, but he's still a Black Dragon, and he thinks like one." She responded calmly as she cuffed Christian to the table.

~I don't understand. How can you be sure?~

"To a Black Dragon; the very idea of using poison to kill an enemy is considered repugnant and weak, and it's not a very certain way to kill either. It's actually a matter of respect, really. If you've made an enemy of a Black Dragon to the point that they want you dead, they will not use anything like that to kill you. It's the way we, or at least most of us are. The enemy should at least be granted a swift and certain demise." she answered, taking a moment to tug on the leg of the table.

~If that's the general belief regarding enemies, what about former teammates?~

"That's different, especially seeing as how until now there has never been any before. Traitors are meant to die; that's a given, the method will generally vary from one of us to another. Theoretically, they would still be considered a respected opponent; and as such should be granted the opportunity to fight for their life. It's all a matter of respect: enemies, respected adversaries and traitor are all granted a measure of respect. Poison would be disrespectful to use on each other." she answered. _'Besides we could not be certain if it would actually work since we are not at all normal.'_ she added silently.

"This will buy us some time before he gets free and hopefully it will be enough to be long gone."

She took the set of keys; locking the door as an extra precaution when they left the room, and she handed the keys to Snake Eyes.

"Go and get Storm and Jinx. It's Antonio's shift, he'll show you the way out." she said quickly.

~What about you?~

"I'll meet you outside. I just have to do a couple ot things first." She replied as she started down a different corridor.

* * *

She made her way into quarters; quickly gathering what she needed and knowing that there is very little time. Her wounds had stopped bleeding by now, in another couple of hours and they would be sealed over. She exchanged the ragged bloody shirt for the black kevlar top Ian had given her in New York. She pulled on her long black coat and began to stash the small arsenal she had gathered. A couple of small revolvers, including the one she had previously shown the ninjas, and a few blades into the hidden pockets.

She retrieved a sheathed sword from a long wooden box in the south corner of the room. Hector had given it to her seeing as she was lacking her own. He was fond of bladed weapons, swords especially; he preferred the heavier broadsword type to this. She and Ian found that they enjoyed the elegance of the Japanese katana; it is their preferred blade, and they would carry it if the situation called for it.

_'The situation has changed; I can no longer continue to wait. If I do not act soon, the price will be high indeed. '_

She had meant what she said about enemies, respected opponents and traitors; that was the opinion kept be the majority of the Black Dragons, but not all of them thought that way. There are actually two among them that could and would use any means necessary to gain the upper hand; Christian is one of them. He was also a sadist; he liked to cause pain and torment to others, and he liked his games. That was shy she knew he wouldn't try to kill her. He had chosen her as his target and he would do anything he could to cause her pain short of killing her. If his target dies then he has no source for his entertainment.

The other is herself; she is assassin, trained to hunt and kill from the shadows. She knew how to slip inside a fortified building; slit the throat of some heavily guarded person, and leave without notice. She had been conditioned to respond to any threat in the most efficient and effective way possible; usually it was immediate termination.

_'Such is the purpose of my existence. I know what it is to walk in the shadows; to exist and subside in darkness, and to hunt and kill at the behest of another. It is a difficult thing to live as I do even among the other Black Dragons; they don't walk the shadows, and know the things I do. Few could do it and retain some semblance of humanity, and the darkness will eventually consume the human heart. If this is what I must do in order to protect that which is important to me, then so be it.'_

tbc

* * *

A/N: A new chap just for you before the New Year. I know there's probably too many lines added; I was having trouble trying to fit the POV changes together without them. Originally this was two different chapters but I decided to merge them. Let me know what you think of it. Also I hope to finish this story in the coming year, and perhaps do another sequal.

Thanks for reading. I hope you had Happy Holidays and have a Happy New Year's.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13

Antonio had been on guard duty for a while when he saw the silent man approach. He straightened and moved away from the wall he had been leaning against after he noticed the key's in the man's hand. There was only one likely way that Christian could have lost those keys. He didn't know what kind of reaction to expect from Phoenix's friend, but it was not for the man to take up a fighting stance.

"I mean no harm." Antonio said, as he held his hands out in front of him, palms up and empty. The gesture was one used by the Black Dragons in approaching each other after an intense situation. It took time for them to stop reacting to a threat, so it was considered dangerous.

"Is she safe?" Antonio asked, knowing that he spoke to the only person to have seen her recently. It was a relief to him when he saw the man nod. The confirmation was important even though he knew that she must have given him the keys herself.

Antonio took a few minutes to observe his company while he undid the lock on the door. He noted that the man never completely relaxed his guard; eased it slightly perhaps, but kept a state of readiness. It was nothing unusual to Antonio, Phoenix was one of the most guarded individuals he knew.

* * *

Hector had found her quite by accident when he turned the corner in the corridor and was greeted by a knife at this throat and a gun to his head. There was a cold dead look in her pale icee blue eyes that he had only seen a few times before. One did not apprach her wihout caution when that look was in her eyes. He stayed completely still and quiet for a few minutes before she pulled away. It was a sign, a warning to not get in her way. She would do whatever it took too see her mission acomplished, using any means necessary in order to do so.

"I understand." He whispered softly with a slight nod to her.

"Do you really, Moby? I don't think you do, not any one of you truly understands the situation. I'll sell my soul without hesitation and kill everyone in this compound to protect them. If this is to be my fate, my purpose for existing then so be it. I'll use what I've been given. I know now there's no way to wash away the blood on my hands." her voice never went above a whisper but her tone and infliction spoke volumes for her sincerity.

"Shana..." he wanted to help her, to find a way to ease her pain. There was nothing he could say or do to accomplish that. So he did the only thing he could do for her: change the subject to focus on the matter at hand.

"You should hurry, if you wish to put some space between you and Christian."

"You're right of course, Moby. My first priority must be to distance myself from Christian. After that is accomplished, I can deal with other things." she said softly as she turned away from him. He saw her fingers brush the silk wrapped hilt of her sword, the blade was something she could trust in and control in an uncertain time.

_'It is a well known fact that she does not trust easily; none of us do. In this situation, the only one she actually trust is herself. Especially to face Christian. She will not risk their lives to do so; for the sole reason that she trusts them as much as she trusts herself. That could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on who possesses this knowledge.'_ Hector thought to himself as he followed her through the corridor.

* * *

Antonio had guided the group of ninjas outside of the complex; all he needed to do now was wait for Phoenix to show up. Jean had joined them a few moments ago; he was drenched from the rain he had been running in. It had been raining for the past few hours, he noted with some trepidation. The fastest way to leave here was to head east and cross the river; which considering the conditions had most likely risen above its banks. Not that it mattered any to her, the weather would not change the plans she'd made.

Two dark shadows detatched themselves from the surrounding darkness of the building. They moved with slow deliberate steps; like a pair of predatory cats stalking prey. Hector flanked her as Jean and Antonio moved toward them.

"Antonio, Jean." she said softly.

"Phoenix." they both returned the acknowledgement.

"Report." Her tone was quiet and clipped as she turned to Jean for the response.

"The river is rising. Banks are overflowed in several places. Terrain is muddy and should be considered treacherous, despite that the river remains the best option." Jean stated, swiftly and concise. As Jean finished his report; she turned to the tall African American next to her;

"Hector," she prompted him.

"I can guarantee you fifteen minutes, posssibly thirty. Any longer would be..." he did not get a chance to finish as she cut him off with a wave of her hand before she spoke.

"Impossible. Fifteen minutes would require luck, Hector, and none of us rely on luck. Give me as much time as you can, but don't put yourself at risk for it."

"As my lady wishes." he answered with a bow.

"I wish you would stop that." she told him as her hand once again brushed the hilt of the blade at her side. The three Dragons noticed the gesture. Athough she looked calm, that gesture belied her worry and they knew that.

"We should leave now." she said to the ninjas, dismissing the Dragons from her attention. Hector reached for her arm to regain her attention.

"Will you be okay?" he asked. When she did not answer and fixed her gaze on the sky, he spoke again.

"Pheonix..."

"I will complete the mission my friend. Of that there is no doubt. However the answer to your question remains to be seen." she answered, turning away from Hector to address the ninjas.

"We need to hurry. There is not much time." She said swiftly, turning from them to lead the way to the river.

For their part the three dragons exchanged a look ot concern between each other and towards their female comrade. A look that went unnoticed by the ninjas for the most part, but one did notice.

* * *

She was different here among the Black Dragons then she was with them. She was aware of it just as much as they were; even more so in fact. They were a part of her current objective and little more in the eyes of the Black Dragon assassin. That was what she was and always would be. She knew now that there was no way to gain redemption, not for everything she'd done. There was no forgiveness for her not for that.

Since she was fated to this shadow existance of spilling other's blood, the best she could do was spill blood in order to protect others. Christian, once an ally, had threaten the lives of those closest to her. He was one who should have known better than to make such a large threat of himself. He had spilled blood of one most important to her; she intended to respond in kind. The most important person to Christian is himself. Earlier she might have hesitated to kill him for the sake of the past, but now she knew she should not hesitate.

The sting from her still open wounds are a minor annoyance, discomfort was easily ignored in the face of an far greater problem. Her vision kept becoming blurred and it was becoming difficult to focus on anything. At first she had thought that it was because of her wounds, and then she noted the numbness that was spreading through her body. It was alarming to her as it would be to any of the Black Dragons even though they would recognize the effects.

Christian had injected her with a potent mixture of sedatives and relaxants that had been made especially to bring them down. Alexei as team medic had administered it to her and the others many times before in order to keep the wounded out of the fight. Alexei had complained that they were notoriously bad patients and that she was the worse one. After the first few times she had started fighting the effects and often the fighting would finish before she sucumbed to it. Once she had started that it did not take long for the others to follow suit.

_'Normally in top condition a Black Dragon could function for three days straight with only minimal food, water and rest. I was already operating at less that half of that, but now thanks to Christian I'm waning even faster. At this rate, I may not even make the river. But that's okay by me, my goal still remains Christian's fall. I will eliminate the threat by any means necessary.'_ she resolved to herself in her mind. She considered her life to be a small price to pay to keep them safe from Christian. If she had it her way no one would have ever known the existance of the Black Dragons.

While she was preoccupied with her thoughts, her right hand brushed over a small bush leaving blood on a couple of the did not notice it with the rain drenching everything she would not have noticed any additional wetness. However when one is in hostile territory, paying attention to even the slightest thing could mean the difference between life and it should not have been no surprise that what she had not seen, had not escaped the notice of her companions.

tbc

* * *

Thanks for reading. Let me know if there were any mistakes. MS Word's spell check did not work on library computers.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14

Scarlett was not sure how long of a head start they had on Christian, if she was lucky they would beat Christian to the river and make it out of here alive. If she was lucky but Black Dragons did not believe in luck. Relying on something as uncertain as luck was most assuredly unwise. Hector had his orders and Ian was en route by now. Her task was now to make sure they made it across the river and keep Christian from following them. Black dragons could sense each other to a point if they concentrated enough; which was hard to do with that damn sedative mixture coursing through her bloodstream. She had fought off its effects before for a while at least. It would eventually stop her but she could hope to complete her task before then.

~How's your wound? ~ The motion at her side drew her attention from her thoughts. She had not even noticed when he came up beside her, which was unusual especially for a Black Dragon.

"Still bleeding. It'll be sealed by this time tomorrow and eventually fade to nothing. Black Dragons heal pretty fast and this is essentially a flesh wound after all. Why do you ask?" she remarked rather casually.

~The last plant you passed had blood on it. ~

"Damn it. When did you notice?"

~A little while ago. Did you do anything to treat them? ~

"I had no time to do any more than bind them. It's not good if I've left a visible trail. Not that it will make much of a difference anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"The river is an obvious choice to head for, especially in this weather. Christian will not follow across the river and I know the way well enough."

~Why wouldn't he cross the river? ~

"He will not because he cannot. It's against the rules of the game."

"What rules? And what game?" Tommy asked.

"This is only a game to Christian, merely a diversion to pass the time. The game is no good without rules; otherwise you don't know who won. We've played this game a few times already." She commented casually. She glanced around in the darkness surrounding them; searching for signs of pursuit.

"How many times have you done this?" Jinx asked.

"This will be the fourth attempt to reach the river. If I cross the river he will not follow; at least not at this time." She answered. The response was direct; there was no point in lying about the game being played around them now.

"But he'll follow later."

"Of course, this game of his never really ends. It's a continuous cycle of cat and mouse. The only things that ever change are the location and the stakes. If we do not meet again at this time, then we'll pick it up the next time our paths cross. That's the way things are. If he does catch up I'll have to pay the penalty," she finished carefully omitting what the penalty would be.

~What is the penalty? ~ Snake prompted when she did not elaborate on the subject.

The question had not been unexpected. She had no answer for it so she said nothing in response. She only shook her head and moved to walk away. He reached and caught her left wrist, wanting an answer to his question. Her response to his action was swift and instinctual; a reflex action that required no thought at all.

She tensed the second she felt the touch; her movement autonomous and instantaneous. She never noticed when she pulled the knife, much less when she had brought it to his throat. 'Instinct is difficult to quell. It screams that everyone is an enemy. Kill or be killed.'

"I'm sorry," she said softly. She looked away quickly as she removed the knife from its current position. _'The one thing I've sworn never to do, I've now done.'_

Her action surprised him. He had not seen the knife until she had held it to his throat. Her reaction was pure instinct one he had never seen from her and he did not blame her for that. It bothered him that she felt threatened enough to react in this way. What really worried him was what he had seen in her eyes.

He had always been able to read her, even when she tried to hide something from him. He knew how to tell when something was bothering her, when she was angry. He knew how to find and interpret the small signals that would give him that information. This had been different because there was nothing to find or read.

Her eyes were cold, devoid to any kind of emotion at all. She did not see him. Her unreadable eyes were on him, but she was actually looking straight through him. It was as if there was a brick wall between them; as if she was not even there.

"I'm sorry." She apologized as she withdrew the knife. He caught a glimpse of the pain and sorrow in her eyes before she looked away. He was not sure if she was apologizing for the knife or the wall she had put p between them.

A moment passed before she spoke again, quietly in the stillness. Her gaze once again searching the dark shadows around them seeking any sign of movement.

"I know the penalty for my own failure; I've become very familiar with it." As she spoke, her left hand went up to touch her right shoulder gingerly. She knew the gesture was explanation enough when she noticed Snake's hands curl tightly into fists.

"That is how the game is played when only I am involved."

"What happens when you're not the only one involved?" Storm asked.

"That's when it gets complicated and Christian can get creative. So I'm not certain what will happen." She answered.

"What about the other Black Dragons? They're clearly helping you." Jinx stated.

"They can do as they please; if they wish to help that's their own choice. They have their orders not to interfere directly with the two of us in the end."

~How does the game end? ~ He asked the question even though he already suspected what the answer would be.

"The game ends when one or both of us are dead. As I said before only the location and the stakes can change. Hector and the rest can do as they please as observers, but they cannot interfere with the final outcome of the game. Ian on the other hand, can and has interfered and will do again as he wishes." She replied, calmly.

"What happens when someone interferes with this game?" Tommy asked.

She was silent for a moment, considering her answer. _'There's nothing wrong with divulging this information. Christian's _**GAME**_has little to do with the Black Dragons; therefore knowledge of this twisted form of entertainment is not threatening. As the situation currently stands it will be more helpful than it could possibly harm.'_

"When one interferes with the game, something will change. It's either delayed to continue elsewhere or what is at stake changes. That's how it is."

"What is at stake?" Jinx asked.

"Life and death. It is always life or death in the game." She answered, casually.

~Whose? Yours or ours? ~

"Both, but not necessarily at the same time. The simple truth is that you are now involved in the game. The game changed the second you set foot here, and now you are a part of it. Christian has marked you as a threat because Ian trusts you enough to come here. Trust is not a simple thing especially to a Black Dragon, neither are threats. There is only one way to deal with a threat, so you really should not have come." She finished quietly. Her tone was hollow and her dark blue eyes were filled with sorrow and pain.

~Why not? ~

"I have never merely walked with death. I move among it, it is my purpose. It's a part of me that I cannot change and has touched me in ways no one else may ever know or understand. Black Dragons do not belong with other people, not even me. No, especially not me. It simply does not work. When people come in contact with me, I know what happens to them. What happened to Danny." She responded.

"Your friend Danny was murdered by Bruno Dante. How is that your fault?" Storm questioned.

"You weren't there at the hearing. Dante knew Danny had a witness that he refused to give up, so he made Danny choose: my life or his own. Vaughn, one of the Bulls saw the entire thing, he told the entire story. Danny made the wrong choice."

~He obviously didn't think so.~

My knowing why will not change anything. All I know is that eventually I'll have to tell his son the real reason why his father died. There's not much time left. If you're going to make it out of here; we need to keep moving." she said quietly.

* * *

The river flowed swiftly in front of them; swollen beyond its banks as Jean had said. Shana leaned against one of the trees; meticulously and methodically checking her weapons. Her gaze turned back the way they had come instead of towards the river. Even with the sedatives in her body, she still had her will and that was the only thing keeping her on her feet right now.

_'It's getting harder to focus on anything. Just a little longer, damn it. A little longer and this will be ended once and for all. At least the rain has stopped.'_ she thought, sighing as she discarded her long black coat on a nearby branch. It could become a hindrance in close quarters if it came to that.

"This is as far as I go. You're on your own from here," she said simply. Her hands moved expertly on her gun, the same small revolver that had killed Dante.

~What are you saying? ~

"The truth is that I never intended to go any further than this point; even if I did there's nothing I can do about it now. I'm surprised that I even made it this far on my own power, especially with the sedative mixture in my system."

~That's what was in the syringe? ~

"I suspected it, but I wasn't sure until the effects started to make themselves known. I'm familiar enough with it and my own limits. I know O will not make it across the river at this point; not with the water moving with such force." She stated calmly. Her sapphire blue eyes watching the churning dark waters of the raging river.

~No. You're coming. ~ The gestures were swift, almost angry; the kind that would not accept any argument even from her.

"I'm barely managing to stand on my feet. I've got tremors in my hands and at least half of my body feels numb. This was made to stop us and I'm barely more than dead weight now."

~Either we all leave or we all stay. ~

She is not surprised by that response. He was digging his heels in and refusing to budge from his position, it was not the first time and neither would it be the last. She had a lot of experience with things of this nature; she had argued with some of the most stubborn people she had ever known. Unfortunately they were on a deadline and there was no time to argue about anything.

"Don't waste any more time. Christian knew I wouldn't make it very far. Get out of here and leave him satisfied with me. It is a mistake for you to remain here; one he will not hesitate to take advantage of again. I don't want to see you-" she paused for a moment,

"I don't want to see any of you die. Not because of me and not in Christian's sadistic game. I have to finish this now before it goes any further. He's right about one thing: It's me or you. I'd much rather it is me."

~That's not going to happen. No one is staying here for any reason. ~ He wouldn't back down any more than she would; she knew that for a fact. He is not the type to desert a friend either.

"There's a rule we have, myself especially: Don't get close to outsiders because someone always gets hurt in the end. Never cross the line; or this is what happens. I took a risk and let myself get too close again. I crossed the line without actually realizing it. Even knowing full well the consequences, I let myself get attached. The foolish mistake I had made let me know that I had stayed too long." she said softly.

"How very, very correct. Although it seems you are not the only one who has stayed too long." Christian interrupted as he stepped into sight. He watched Phoenix shift uncomfortably, her dark Caribbean blue eyes starting to shift into teal.

Tbc

* * *

A/N: That's it for this chapter, hope you like it. Please let me know.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The pair stood a few feet from each other; watching carefully and waiting for the first move. The weapon in her hands shook ever so slightly, but enough to catch his attention.

_'Just a little longer.'_ Christian thought, _'It's going to take her down soon. I could never take her at 100%, that's a proven fact. We think faster than normal people, but she's at least three steps ahead of the rest of us.'_

Moby noticed the slight shake of the weapon in her hands with a sense of dread. He recognized the signs of the toxin now in her blood.

_'Phoenix can fight the effects for a time. She has always fought the drug since they started testing it on us; she is the most able to fight its effects. However there is a time limit before it starts to affect her worse than it already is. This has to end soon. Christian holds the upper hand; he can wait for the toxin to run its course, until she cannot act against him.'_

Christian glanced at the small group at the river's edge. Her current allies had some part to play; no doubt. What it was he did not know; apparently neither did she. Alliances were made as needed and discarded once it was unneeded.

_'Black Dragons trust no one, care for no one, and rely on none but ourselves. We exist apart from everyone; without bonds, and yet...'_

Christian's anger made him take a step forward unconsciously, an action that was quickly interpreted as menacing and immediately answered by the sound of a gunshot. The bullet hit the ground less than an inch away from where he stood. He focused his attention on her once more as she moved, instinctively placing herself between him and her allies.

"Keep your eyes on the threat, Christian." she hissed softly.

* * *

Her mind was working all the possible scenarios and actions he could take. He had yet to reveal if he was armed but that meant less than nothing. Appearances were deceiving and she knew that far better than most. She's not at her best now; at the most she was operating at less than half at this juncture. The one thing she was thankful for was the high priority nature of the situation that would not allow for any failure on her part.

_'My options are currently limited; take the offensive or continue to hold my position. Both are risky in my state. I will not be able to take Christian down easily and time is a factor to consider. As Moby and the others are forbidden to interfere; assistance will not be forthcoming. At least not from that quarter,, and I'd rather not involve any one else.'_

She was very aware of the presence behind her. While her action was hardly unexpected; the significance of the display would be disconcerting to her opponent

* * *

At first Christian was pleased by her shift in position; from her original location she could keep her attention on both her allies and himself. Where she now stood made that far more difficult. After the warning and a couple of minutes passed, he noticed that he retained all of her attention. His unease grew exponentially when she never bothered to check the positions of those behind her.

_'A Black Dragon never turns their back on an Outsider. Outsiders are inferior of course, but to do so in such a fashion is a statement of that fact. All Outsiders are inferior but Phoenix would not ally herself with any that she considers mediocre.'_

Christian felt a chill run down his spine as he continued to meet her arctic blue eyes.

_'This is no insult. Phoenix would not insult her own allies because it would also be an insult to her. She means this as a display of trust. To turn one's back on an Outsider in this manner indicates a level of trust that should be impossible for any of us Black Dragons.'_

/"You lower yourself, Phoenix, allowing them to use you for their own purposes. Both you and Dragon are weak, we are meant to be superior, to reign destruction upon our enemies. I would see us stand above all everyone, where we belong."\

/"No one stands above anyone else, Christian. It simply is not possible no matter how you might wish differently."\ she responded. Her tone was cold and quiet as she watched him calmly.

/"Are you so satisfied to play at being human? We are gods."\ he snarled at her.

/"No, we are not gods, Christian. We were human but we are not anymore. We don't belong here. This is madness. "\

"I agree, we should not be fighting each other. The madness should end. This in fighting would be exactly what he wants. Do you recall what it was like for us, before this madness started?" he asked quietly almost pleading.

"I remember. We were never friends; you and I. That is what it was like." she remarked casually. His sudden shift was disorienting; it put her into high alert._'What are you playing at Christian?'_

"No, but we were comrades. Can you simply ignore the past? All any of us Black Dragons had was each other at that time. We were lucky then, we never had to lose one of our own for any reason. I would hate to be responsible for changing that, don't you agree?" he asked.

"My opinion on the matter is path we are now on cannot be changed, regardless of any one's opinions. Too much has occurred for either of us to choose another path." she answered. Her gaze narrowed on him knowingly. _'He's worked too hard to bring everything to this point; he would not change it even if it meant his life. He's only trying to stall long enough for the toxin to run its course. He believes he knows my limits.'_

"Then there is no way around this, Phoenix? Even if I was to offer you the chance of walking away now?" he asked, his tone curious.

"Why must you continue to ask questions when the answers mean nothing to you? My answer is pointless when you have no intention of keeping your word. You were fully and well aware that this path you chose would only end in blood and death. There is no other way, Christian!" she snapped. The revolver that had lowered to her side was once again aimed at him.

"True, it doesn't actually matter and it will not change anything. I just wanted to see what you would do; you know how I like to see how people react. The kinds of things I know provoke the most interesting reactions. Why the things I could tell you..." Christian began.

"Christian!" she interrupted him, anger edging sharply into her voice. The gun in her hand cocked loudly in the ensuing silence.

"A very interesting reaction, indeed. Makes one wonder what I was going to say that would provoke such a reaction." Christian said cheerfully. He had gotten what he wanted; proof that he had gotten to her.

Her fingers traced the trigger in a motion that was almost a caress. Christian watched her eyes closely; the hard glacial blue shifted minutely becoming slightly darker. He knew what she feared and he had access to it. She would do anything to keep it from becoming known, including let him dictate how this would play out. _'We Black Dragons made games of dodging bullets. Anger and fear cloud our thoughts, providing a distraction for me. Once she fires the first shot, she loses the initiative. If I get past her, behind her; she will hesitate to take the shot.'_ He thought, watching the way the revolver trembled in her hand.

Her finger began to slowly pull the trigger back when another sound broke the stillness. Every Black Dragon heard it; not as loud as they may have imagined it to be, but it drew their attention as one. From where he stood Moby looked past Phoenix to where the sound had originated; neither she or Christian moved or took their eyes off of each other. But both had instinctively froze at the sound.

The sound of fingers snapping had startled Christian when he heard it partly because it was so unexpected. Phoenix had frozen at the sound, merely moments from firing on him. The interruption caused some imperceptible shift in her. He watched as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

* * *

_'Calm down. Let go of the fear and the anger. This is what he wants: control of the situation. Strengthen your resolve, steady your heart. Have no doubt, no fear. Fear does not bring victory. Abandon fear. Do not stop. Do not look back. Resolve yourself and think only of moving forward.'_ The voice in her mind sounded a little like both Danny and Ian. Christian had been intentionally trying to bait her; he knew her and how she could potentially react to whatever he could do.

The trembling of the revolver stilled once she opened her eyes again. Christian noted with some trepidation that the darker shade of blue had left her eyes. She had retaken control of herself and with it the situation.

"No more of these games, Christian. It ends here and now." She said softly, ice in her tone to match the pale blue of her eyes.

tbc

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter, thanks for reading. It would have been out sooner but I had some technical difficulties.


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